13th Ascendant
by Alex Retzer
Summary: An AU take on the survivors of cylon earth and their human allies. A unique history and setting borrowing from killzone, terminator, star wars and Mass Effect. This is the story of the first contact and the conflict of survival by kobols creations.1stfic
1. Chapter 1

When the combined fleet of colonial and rebel Cylon forces landed on earth they found devastation. The final five could only reminisce about a world that had ceased to be. What if though the world had not been destroyed ? With less radiation poisoning and the quick thinking of the last remnants the thirteenth tribe chose to endure and ultimately prosper in the rough conditions of earth. Renaming it Helghan in a testament to the hell of the first decades of rebuilding and simply surviving the nuclear winter that followed the war. The nations that had stood before the war passed into history along with their nationalities, there were too few left to fight any sort of war.

Ellen Tigh had secretly been spied upon and the fruits of her research alongside those of her conspirators was in the hands of the government of the new nation of Helghan. Once the tools of their ancestors had been uncovered they embraced resurrection alongside cloning and mandating large families requiring females to for the first time in generation sit home to care for the young.

After one hundred years of constant breeding,resurrection and cloning, the Helghast population stood at 2.5 million. While small compared to the large urban populaces of the prewar era, this was an historic achievement for the nearly destroyed machine race. Alongside the flesh and blood Helghast though stood the metal workers and sometimes soldiers who had once fought against their organic siblings, the zaku.

Once referred to as centaurs, these machines had undergone an evolution in design. spiked shoulder armor pads, they resembled their organic Helghast counter parts with what appeared to be a air filters and two air tubes coming around either side of the lower half of its head to connect to what one could in fact call a mouth. The dome like head had a single red eye that moved back and forth to scan the area. They were impressive and many had a single horn adorning their heads, appearing all the more menacing.

The helghast for many centuries lived in subterranean and even space based platforms, the effects of radiation and genetic engineering combined with evolution caused the race of the helghast to truly change. A people nearly wiped out by war sought unity, every organic and metal helghast was a free citizen, no one was considered second class. That all being said, political dissent was often crushed and few care given the disaster that had befallen them. A world that once held billions held only a few million and the wreckage of this fact reminded the helghast to pour all energy into rebuilding their civilization rather then fighting pointless skirmishes over politics.

In the exodus from Kobol and the destruction of the helghast war for independence, tens of thousands of humans joined with the helghast in a journey to find earth. The twelve tribes for whatever reason, perhaps to spite the helghast in one last desperate act, chose to whitewash the existence of the machine race they had created. Only the human sympathizers were mentioned as having left Kobol, the war and the circumstances that caused the 14 groups to leave Kobol also were ignored in the scriptures of the people that would create the twelve colonies.

In the thousand year span it took the final five Cylons, known to helghast as the five saviors to reach the colonies, the helghast nation and Terran federation on the world of Ferose had become formidable powers. The helghast nation boasted 2.6 billion citizens, the Terran federation boast 15.2 billion citizens. In terms of real estate, the restraints of the helghast home world made colonizing other planets a necessity, first orbital bases, shipyards and finally colony worlds came into being. These were shanxi and Vekta, smaller worlds were also explored but considered fully developed, being more akin to territories then part of a nation.

The humans likewise moved to colonization of whole worlds, but at an accelerated pace. While the helghast had the problem of too low a population after what they termed judgment day, the humans of Feros had the opposite. The population had already been stretched at nearly 3 billion and rationing was becoming a staple of ferosian life. To counter this, the ferosian's poured untold sums of credits, the common currency of the helghan and ferosian nations into ambitious projects aimed at leaving ferosian space for other worlds.

After nearly ten years of exploration, they had stumbled upon massive mineral encased in asteroids and eventually 4 habitable worlds, They christened these worlds Orlos, New Feros, Panjea and Britania. After about 600 hundred years, the helghast also endeavored to search their segment of the galaxy which despite lacking in an abundance of worlds or raw materials none the less wielded Shanxi and Vekta.

After the discovery and light settlement of Shanxi and then Vekta, which was furthest from Helghan, a new threat challenged both helghast and the Terran Federation.

A deep space exploration mission was launched in the year known to helghast as 1002 AJ, or 1002 years after judgment day. This is the story of that encounter and the war that would rage continuously forty years. 


	2. Chapter 2

Ch.1 – Things begin to take shape

...

Colonel Chekov walked through security checkpoint at the heavily secured military compound known only as alpha site. The lone red eye of a nearby zaku fell upon him.

"Greeting Colonel Checkov, I am pleased to report construction of the valkryie is ahead of schedule. How was your trip to Vekta ?", the grayish zaku spoke in a plainly synthesized voice.

Chekov regarded his fellow helghast with a grin. The zaku's were larger and bulkier then their ancestors but they still retained that mechanical aspect that showed his people for what they all were. Machines.

'I am pleased beyond words Ben'. Chekov communicated wireless through his neural pathways to the zaku known as Ben.

' Not one for mimicking the humans Colonel?' Ben responded.

Chekov simply grinned 'why should we communicate in long drawn out vocals when our nanite and positronic brains can perform the same task in nano seconds. And it isn't 'humans', its the terrans we associate with, not our kobolian overlords'.

' They do however belong to the same species, as such any duplication of terran behavior could be expanded upon as duplicating a human behavior' Ben sent back. The two had begun to walk toward the there destination through an overly elongated corridor that began at the entrance of alpha site.

The high ceilings accommodated zaku's as well as the humanoid helghast. The building itself resembled a massive outdoor stadium with lofty ambitions. The length of the complex ran some 6 miles and was about 3 miles wide. The damn thing had taken nearly a year to construct with around the clock construction making causing quit a stir with nearby locals.

"But the rewards are great " mused Chekov. The ship that was now 95% complete with a sister ship scarcely 4 months away was coming into view. The massive height of the building was due to the need for secrecy rather then office space.

'I think you'll be rather pleased with our work colonel, though do try to keep your jaw closed when it hits you' Ben communicated in teasing tone.  
' I've seen the light cruisers the Ferosian Federation has, somehow I think I can handle the sight of our version of them' Chekov shot back. Clearly the zaku known as Ben must be young in his years if he thought a helghast colonel would be overcome by the site of such an ordinary looking craft as a cruiser.

Truth be told Chekov had been kept in the dark about the exact dimensions of the craft. He'd seen The Ferosian Federations cruisers though. They were used to catch pirates and deliver disaster relief. The box like ships were ugly but heavily armed and lightly crewed. At most they were 90 meters in length and were often dwarfed by larger tankers and civilian industrial ships. Word had got around however of something more. The whispers from people in intelligence spoke of a craft 200 meters in length the terrans were building meant to carry fighters and various landing craft.

"If I was getting a position on a ship like that then I might actually have reason to feel like a giddy child" Chekov thought wishfully for a moment.

The Ferosian Federation had never had to rebuild their civilization as the helghast had. They had had to develop a navy of some form or another almost one hundred years earlier. After five hundred years the Ferosian federation had trouble keeping Britannia in check, many of the terrans or 'ferosians' as helghast thought of them, born and raised for generation on Britannia demanded indepednence. Of course the Ferosian military had been caught unawares and had taken a year to respond but it had been time well spent. The sight of 40 Ferosian cruisers in orbit had shocked the Britannian upstarts and they had agreed to negotiations. The Ferosian Federation had subsequently become a true Federation of planet states as opposed to a centralised Feros lead band of colonies. Britannia agreed to stay united with Feros in exchange for a greater say in national affairs and some leeway in making their own laws so long as Feros law and court rulings took precedence in judicial matters. Orlos, New Feros and Panjea were given the same treatment within a year by the central authority of the Ferosian federation.

All this had made Chekov envious and embarrassed. The helghast Republic often proclaimed itself a bastion of both liberty and synthetic stength. Everyone knew it to be a mixed bag of propaganda to make the average helghast feel less insecure about themselves. Thier world had recoved, it had taken hundreds of years and tireless effort but they were now approaching a booming population and a proud land and air force. That being said, they were still only one planet. Some eighty years ago they had demanded action as Feros seemed to only get stronger and worries began to surface about food supplies and remaining mineral deposits. The second worry wasn't an issue but the first was very real.

In the city of Troika, Chekov had had to lead his soldiers, the newly minted terminators, gas masked humanoids like himself and the zaku's in a brutal crack down on food rioters. The government had said helghast farms could feed helghast citizens, this however proved an egotistical boast with no barring in reality. Chekov could still remember the screams as his men had opened fire on the crowds. He'd been told they were enemies of the republic, that he was preserving order. Inside he felt rotten but took the meddle and promotion with a smile as all helghast were expected to do for the high command.

Then they'd found them. First a scouting team had found a forested and temperate Shanxi and helghast for the first time claimed territory outside of traditional helghast space. After about a decade of settlement, another planet had been found and it proved even more fantastic a catch then Shanxi. While located nearly twice as far away from Helghan as Shanxi was, it proved well worth the trip. The planet proved ideal for agricultural production with countless rivers and an exotic coast that mad the rich of helghan and Feros alike pay a hefty sum to visit its beachs. Within some sixty years Vekta had become a bread basket for the republic and a source of income as the helghast began to export rare food stuffs to the Ferosians.

The high command that lead the Helghast Republic would not have either Shanxi nor dare allow Vekta to ever break away as the human worlds had almost done. Research and development had been given all sorts of incentives and perks to get new weaponry off the drawing board. The valkyrie was the culmination of this effort.

"Colonel!" Ben shouted.  
"huh...what wrong?" asked a startled Chekov.

"You've been standing in front of the hangar doors for almost 2 minutes just gazing ahead. Are you all right ?" Ben asked in a worried tone.  
"Yes, I'm perfectly fine private Benjamin Nil", the flustered Chekov responded.  
"Now lets see how a damn cruiser can suck up all the funding I've heard about, if you've been living the high life on military funds I'll personally see that you...". The doors opened and Chekov's sentence died on the tip of his tongue. In front of him was the biggest warship he'd ever seen.

The Colonel continued to simply stare at the triangular ship laid out before him. It was sleek and imposing, it could easily swallow up several Ferosian cruisers that he'd thought were baddest entities in space not seconds before.

Chekov's brain did the necessary calculations once the surprise wore off somewhat. The 'behemoth' of a ship was 752 meters long and 480 meters wide.

"God damn that thing could destroy whole cities!" Chekov blurted out.  
"Actually its meant to go up against stars " joked Ben.  
"..." Ben felt the need to elaborate as Chekov simply gave him a questioning look not knowing weather Ben was bluffing or for real.  
" Its called a 'Star Destroyer'. The name was picked to embody a vessel so powerful it could destroy the greatest powers in the galaxy, the stars themselves. Of course it can't actually do anything on that scale...but with time we might come close."

If Ben had a true mouth and face with cheekbones and all, he would undoubtedly be grinning. While He was just a private, he was a private at a high security, high end Research center doubling as a manufacturing facility. He heard and saw things that made this current 'star destroyer' seem like a light weight but that those ships were years away. For now Ben resumed his focus on the colonel and began to explain the ships stats.

"She can carry one-hundred ship to ship missiles and has fifty short range anti aircraft lasers along with.."  
"Wait, did you just say this ship has lasers ? As in beams of light that can cut through solid matter. I thought that was limited intensive mining operations and intensive surgical tools ?" Chekov interrupted.

" Well it was used for mining and the Ferosians don't think of them as weapons other then against the ailments that plague their weak bodies but we believe if we keep going we could turn one day turn them into the main armament on our attack ships, maybe even replace missiles! This array of anti-aircraft laser batteries is the first step.". Ben explained.

"well since I'm seeing all my predictions about what kind of craft I would be inspecting thrown out the proverbial window, what else is there to this star destroyer?" Chekov's curiosity was getting the better of him.

"Glad to see your pleased with our work here Colonel. The 'Valkyrie is designed with the latest in hyper drive engines, they are still more or less prototypes like the Valkyrie herself, but we should be able to reach any part of the Helghan Republic's space within hours and the farthest reaches of Feros Space within days rather then weeks or months like commercial vessels do".

The continued exploration and trade between worlds was pushing corporations and the military to demand ever faster speeds and longer ranges, no doubt the very engines Ben now boasted of would become standard in a short time and then obsolete within a few years. As was the way of Progress. Something the Helghast convinced themselves they must always strive for.

" That engine must take up a hell of a lot of space though. We'll have to build a whole other class of ship to give fighter support to the Valkyrie in battle " Chekov stated somewhat glumly. The vultures mostly patrolled planets or played around in asteroid fields near off world bases. They simply couldn't fit them with the engines needed to keep up with something like this 'Star Destroyer'.

" Actually all we need is this one ship " Ben stated like it was the most obvious thing in the 3 worlds. Chekov's red eye's boar into that of the zaku, clearly something was a miss. Chekov began to think it might be Ben's common sense. Sure this ship was impressive but he could see swarms of fighters being a problem, much less pursuing multiple targets.

" You see colonel, the high command wanted the best of both worlds. To have a powerful cruiser that could also double as launch pad for our flying brethren. They are helghast as you or I and naturally must be included in this ships crew. Our laws demand it, as does our god".

Chekov mind wondered briefly over Ben's words. True, if the high command which had vultures alongside the other variants of their race within its council, couldn't get a ship crewed by all helghast then there might not have been a ship at all. Looking at the valkyrie he was very glad to see this impediment had been overcome. He was curious to know how exactly this had been done.

" Explain" Chekov requested.  
" The valkyrie has one hundred vultures aboard her and can launch them in rapid succession becaus..."  
"How is that even possible, the ship is huge but really! One hundred vultures is the equivalent to a primary air base. The only thing bigger then that are the nests they and sentry's build for themselves."

" We use a energy forcefield that allows objects to pass through it while keeping the hangar bays pressurised for combat personal to move about freely." Ben answered.

"But I don't see any hangar bay doors anywhere on either side of the ship, just those anti aircraft laser you were boasting about and some missile bays along with...are those torpedo tubes ?". Chekov's eyebrows shot up and he zoomed his vision in on what were clearly large torpedo tubes.

" The bottom of the ship has large rectangular opening, the forcefield will be operational within a week or so. Should the field ever be on the verge of failure we are in the process of installing sliding panels to preassurise the hangar bay the old fashioned way should the need ever arise. " Ben stated.

A moment of silence passed between Ben and Chekov.

Almost as an afterthought Ben added, " and those torpedo tubes shoot new proton and bio-chemical torpedo's.".  
Chekov let out a low whistle " bet we could intimidate a city wide uprising like Trokia with one of those. Hell make a Ferosian or Kobolian cruiser think twice about messing with us" chekov stated contently, now sporting a gleam in his eye not unlike a child who'd found his new favorite toy.

"Actually we could take out the whole Ferosian fleet and have room for a couple of planets. The Valkyrie is designed to carry one-hundred-fifty missiles with six torpedo tubes on either side.". Ben let that sink in for a moment, taking satisfaction in the colonels eye's which were now as wide as saucers.

As Chekov gazed at the 'T' shaped bridge that strutted out at the rear of the ship like a tower overseeing the rest of the vessel he had one question. It wasn't the one Ben expected.

"Why did you call the ship a 'she'?" Chekov inquired with a questioning look. Ben if he had sweat glands would have sweat dropped in shock over the seemingly random question.

Ferosians assigned a sex to their ships as the kobolians had done before them. The helghast though saw a ship like a cruiser or freighter and thought of them as objects. Vultures could be a 'he' or 'she' depending on the personalities they exhibited but they were sentient beings like all helghast. This ship couldn't be the same. Could it ?

"The ship is maintained and can be partially controlled by an intellignce named Cortana" Ben stated.

" Isn't that a little dangerous ? Putting all that faith in one individual." Chekov asked.

The kobolians and even Ferosians had and perhaps still did use the term artificial intelligence or 'AI', but to helghast they viewed this label as a means to keep enslaved the trapped sentience of newly created beings. Some objects with advanced capabilities were view as powerful and innovative but not as intelligent machines. Intelligent machines had to be free, helghast in a nutshell were all freed machines. To do otherwise was against the will of god their leaders proclaimed and something only a kobolian would dare do.

" We have safeguards and besides, she's helghast like you or I. Come on, I'll show you the commanders bridge. We just finished it up a week ago. We've already done a cracker jack job of assembling a crew for you to command.

Ben kept on walking but chekov stopped dead on the overhead walkway, thinking he'd misheard.

Crew ? Command ? For the third time that day chekov's eye's widened and he raced to catch up with Ben who was now several yards away.

End chapter one. 


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Two:

summary: chekov meets members of the crew. We read about terminators and how they came to be. We learn about why the Valkyrie is being built on vekta instead of the helghast homeworld 'helghan' aka (original cylon Earth).

crew: Chekov - captain  
Yuri - communications officer  
Ivanna Dostya - internal security/second in command  
Ben Nil - Ground forces

Chekov entered the mess hall of alpha base, not really knowing what to expect. Ben's constant surprises were leaving him in an unusual state. For perhaps the first time he wondered if maybe his actions at Troika had really been right, if high command was really as intelligent and powerful as they proclaimed themselves to be. The 'star destroyer' he'd seen was a powerful incentive to believe the system their country had for all its flaws was none the less, the only system the helghast could have.

The Military had kept order for centuries during the period of time spent living underneath helghan's surface. It had been the military that had poured what funds and materials were left into developing the genetics programs and agricultural bases that existed post judgement. The full body air tight suites helghast had had to wear were also a staple of the military, who used updated versions as uniforms for soldiers.

David Anderson had only been a battalion commander but he'd been the one to negotiate with the remaining centaurs that had survived the nuclear fire and wandered the surface. It was Anderson that had proposed the new genetic modifications of red eye's and the new law codes on equality for all helghast. He'd been something of a founding father for the helghast nation among countless individuals to assume leadership positions in the early years of their now great nation.

"we'll only be meeting with the immediate bridge crew today captain" Ben stated as they neared the deliberately cleared out mess hall. Save of course for two individuals sitting at a table eating some exotic looking food.

"I'm still not used to the whole 'captain' thing Private. Besides I'm still a colonial, I could just decide to stay with my unit" Chekov stated.

"Well you had better become comfortable in your new skin captain because High command rarely if ever goes back on its decisions, your too much of a soldier to refuse orders as is." Ben laughed.

" Who's going to take over command 501st ?" Chekov asked. He and his men had shared countless victories and even a few defeats together. They were like a family to him, he was the father and they his boys and girls. He felt protective and wanted to know they would be treated well.

" The 501st internal security regiment will actually be doing a tour of duty here on Vekta within a few months. High command thought it would boost the moral of settlers to know the famed 'Inquisitors' had decided to make an appearance here. Said it would show how highly the government thinks of all they are doing to expand our people's holdings here." Ben explained.

In truth the Republic of Helghan despite having never fought a war or even a skirmish with their stalwart allies the Ferosian's, with whom they could sometimes get into squabbles with over everything from trade routes to internal politics, Retained a large army.

Helghast society being very militarized by its origins conscripted most helghast to serve two to five years in a regiment of some kind or another. All types existed to suite a persons individual skills. Construction regiments for example could have a recruit serve their entire length of conscription and build either a single massive public works project like a tower skyscraper or Fusion reactor or simply build hundreds of homes for now ever expanding population.

Joining a medical regiment was more complex by comparison. You might end up working as a resurrection technician or you be deployed off world to either help the colonies of helghan or intern at a Ferosian medical facility. Given resurrection's existence some visitors from Feros would ask why Helghan had doctors at all. The truth of course was that resurrection while a wonderful and some would call divine gift, none the less took months. They'd upgraded long ago to creating a whole new body in an incubation chamber over several months as opposed to having new bodies laying in waiting. Once the population had started expanding toward the high thousands, it had become impractical to do it the traditional way.

Chekov and every other helghast was thankful Elllen Tigh had kept backups of the groups project, and even more so that their government had the sense to keep tabs and make copies of them.

Medics also doubled as engineers in a sense, they could fix a flesh and blood humanoid, patch up the internal working of a zaku, terminator or even vulture. For this they often received both higher pay and better living conditions. Once a helghast finished a conscription tour, they could go into the medical schools on helghan but that required them to pay for it themselves. Those slated in youth to join a medical regiment received a medical education free of charge and then began their tour's of conscription. It went against the principle of equality some argued but it seemed to work.

" Who's going to be taking my place as colonel commander ? " Chekov asked feeling some trepidation. A good leader would keep his boys and girls out of harms way, an incompetent one could send them through agonizing and disruptive process of resurrection several times over. 

"You'll be pleased to know your young up and comer lieutenant colonel Mael Radec was chosen as your successor" Ben Nil replied. They were now scarcely 3 yards away from the pair of officers that would be their fellow bridge crewmen. Close enough to hear a conversation they weren't supposed to.

" So I heard our commander's straight out of internal security" Yuri Parnassus stated to the long haired brunet fellow humanoid helghast across from him. shoveling what passed for mess hall nutrients into his mouth.

" You think he's here to spy on us ? " Ivana Dostya questioned. The long haired brunet had striking gray blue eye's and several red lines running along the right side of her face. Obviously the marking of advanced internal nanite alterations.

Swallowing his food, Yuri proceeded to respond. " Not that kind of internal security. Listen I know you grew up on Vekta and everything but on the homeworld things are different. Internal security isn't some 001 cloak and daggers spy operation. Before we found the colonies things were scarce, I'm a communications guy so I see things, nasty things." Yuri mentioned in a conspiratorial tone.

"I'm perfectly aware of the sacrifices that our nation made to recover its former glory. A few trouble makers here and their shouldn't be a problem. With all the food my family ships off from the farm back to helghan, its a wonder we have anything left to sell in the markets. My parents told me all about the food riots and crime syndicates on the home world. If our boys in gray need to get a little rough." Dostya was interrupted in her monologue when Yuri decided she needed more information to form what he viewed as the only rational opinion.

" Its black not gray and don't you think some of those grievances are valid ? Why should a bunch of outdated models past their prime dictate everything, much less how much your family has on the farm come harvest ?" Yuri pleaded with Dostya, hoping she'd see the same cracks that he did. Alas, while he was in communications, Yuri had never bothered inquiring about Dostya's job placement in this little endeavor. They'd mostly swapped stories about childhood and bet on who would win the upcoming galactic cup, between the terrans and helghast.

" I'm in the military Yuri the same as you. I don't get paid to think about politics or wax philosophy. My families business is none of your concern, all my relatives speak of hardships past but its because of them that I joined the military, to make sure people keep level headed. I've gotten top marks at both General and military education institutes on Vekta. I was offered a job with the 322nd internal but I turned it down to stay near home."

" So how the hell did you end up here if you killed any chance of a career with the higher up's lapdogs ?" Yuri asked with a slight amount of barely hidden contempt.

" I scored top of my class in combat simulations with human and terran opposition thrown my way. One of the higher ups decided to throw me into space battle sims and I managed to command my fleet of simulated ferosian cruisers better then those opposing me so I got plunked down here last week. " Dostya finished looking smug. The know it all attitude of the communications officer across from her was replaced by a more guarded stance as he now knew she might report him to the authorities for his suspicious...some would say treasonous words.

"So what was your score anyway in those space sims ?" Yuri asked now deflating and trying to relax as he tried to change topics away from politics and hope she just forgot all the things he'd said on the matter of high command and internal security in general.

" Twelve wins to zero losses" She said smug.

Ben seemed rather focused on the communications officers backside as he and the zaku stood behind their fellow crew mates. On the one hand Chekov worried he'd have problems going forward with a communications officer who clearly didn't like him or the government he guarded. Then again Dostya seemed reliable if a little idealistic and over confident. ' Never thought I'd be a glass half full kind of guy ' chekov mused to himself.

"They say the 13th try is the charm " Chekov stated. He was thinking of the number the way terrans did, unlucky and to be avoided. The average helghast would say the exact opposite, what with being the 13th tribe of kobol in all, J-Day aside, the number had been mostly fortunate.

The two crew members whipped around. dismayed that they had not only failed to notice the approach of the two fellow helghast but that one of them was a zaku variant.

Yuri being slow to take in the appearance of Chekov's uniform or ignoring it all together began to speak in a tone that said he knew Ben well enough to forgo formalities. "Bring another puppet into the fray did you Ben?"

Chekov looked at the young communications officer, while a terran on feros might think helghast all looked alike in their combat garb, a fellow helghast should have been able to pick out the little things that distinguished one from another.

"Actually the puppet master has arrived officer Parnassus, this is colonel soon to be your ships captain, chekov."

The looks on the faces of the crew mates was almost worth Ben reminding him he'd become part of the navy. A new force in the helghast nation that had yet to distinguish itself beyond keeping the shipping lanes free of narcotics and piracy.

The crisp salutes the two crew members gave was only topped by the volume of yuri's shout of 'hail helghan' as they both did the customary second salute to the nation. If they hadn't been so startled by the revelation of who he was and he hadn't been reminded of his new station in life, he might have messed around with them for fun and asked why they didn't praise the country before saluting him, as was the proper way in helghast society.

Instead he opted for small talk.

" So Hexor offered you a job did he ?" He asked a now confused looking Dostya.

" Sir, I'm not sure I understand the question, I've only had offers from the army and police forces" Dostya asked

" For being so bright and self confident commander, you let the obvious escape you rather well. Hexor is the colonel in charge of 322nd internal security detachment you spoke of. While he wouldn't try to recruit from the lower rungs of the officer pool I'm beginning to think he's getting on in age if he recommended someone so blind to details. " Chekov stated calmly, just enough to goad a reaction out of Dostya. Instead, Yuri jumped in as she was about to reply to his little barb.

" How do you know someone as high up as Hexor Sir ? I heard he's almost as old as his unit's designation number is large." Yuri asked. No doubt suspicious and dreading the possible answer.

Chekov smiled. The communications officer was about to learn from just where high command had snatched his commanding officer.

" Hexor and I are close personal friends. He's no where near as old as the rumors say, he just allows slight alterations to give the effect of age. I'm actually a little older myself, but he likes the aura of wisdom some gray hair gives him." Chekov stated a small laugh escaping him as he was reminded of Hexor Maximuses antics.

" Where you two in the same unit ?" Dostya asked. She'd only heard of a handful of units with reputations and the 322nd wasn't one of them, part of the reason she'd turned them down.

"Heavens no Lieutenant colonel Dostya, we met at an officers convention on helghan back before the colonial days. The 322nd is a good outfit but I'll take my boys and girls in the 501st any day of the week." Chekov responded with pride.

Because they were in a filtered room, the two officers below him had failed to don gas masks or helmets. He felt satisfaction rise in him mixed with regret. They may not know of Troika but their were countless other cases were the 501st had shown itself to be committed to the Helghast nation. Not all of them filled with medals or pomp. They did the dirty work of the nation and these two knew it. Yuri obviously more then Dostya because he was turning almost transparent where most helghast where a deathly pale under their suites.

"As much as I've enjoyed our little chat, ground forces commander Nil and I need to be inspecting the members of the vulture combat detachments" with that Chekov turned around and marched out of the mess hall. Ben Nil in hot pursuite.

On the minds of Yuri and Dostya only one word could form in their minds

"Shiesst!"

"


	4. Authors Note

Authors Note:

Hello readers. I've actually completed several chapters and am working on editing them as we speak. Before I continue the story I'd like to know that the over one hundred hits this story has received are going somewhere.

I'm going to be bringing in the Mass Effect universe within a few chapters and their will be epic gun battle's raged aboard starships, which to see I'll require at least ten reviews. I'm mostly concerned with fleshing out the characters and finding out how my first fic is doing.

The helghast despite being a society centered on the military (similar to north korea or 20th century Russia) aren't the rabid space nazi's we see in the game yet. The use of the german swear at the end of the last chapter was intended to hint at Nordic/Germanic inspirations. As you'll see in chapter 6, the terrans lean more toward the roman influences.

That being said I'll re-edit the story's end line if you the reivewer's say so!

I'm thinking of the word 'Frazak' because it would be like 'frak' from the 12 colonies but altered while still showing a connection.

If any of you have a better idea please feel free to share.

Updates will continue every couple of days so you get the story in a steady stream of posts. It might start to slow some what because work has picked up and I could jump into school for the summerII semester. (need to boost my humanities credits).

Good day readers, Alex Retzer.

Ps: I also post on Space Battle's under the same handle.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 3: Taking flight.

The engines of the valkyrie powered up, beginning her ascent into the upper atmosphere.

On the bridge the command crew went about final preparations to fully engage the ships engines and send it outward away from Vekta and Helghast space.

"Got anything you want to say to the crew captain ? Now might be a good time to impress them with your tough guy charisma!". Cortana half jokingly teased.

Chekov looked over at her, somewhat annoyed but none the less addmitting internally that she was right. He had assert his authority but more then that he needed the crew to like him. Crew's that had a positive view of their commander often were more loyal then those who feared them.

"Alright, put me through to the crew Cortana. I'll keep this nice and short.

"aye aye captain" cortana responded. She then nodded when the communications channel was open.

"Listen up Valkyrie. This is your captain speaking." Chekov began.

Various zaku finished strapping themselves in only to have their heads swival upward and their eye's focus on the speaker near their crew quarters.

In the hanger, a full compliment of vulture attack fighters and several hunter killers began to tune into the valkyrie's internal communications. A few made various beeping noises that seemed to relay joy. The various humanoid deck personal could only grin. Their fighters were liked caged dogs of war, eager to explore but hoping just as eagerly to encounter something to fight.

" We have the momentous honor and privalege of exploring deep space, beyond the furthest mapped sectors of known helghast or Terran territory."

" Well over two thousand years ago our ancestors embarked on an exodus for freedom. Helghan for a time was that freedom but we were decadent. We chose divison over unity, corruption and greed over virtue. For this we were punished, for this we were judged. "

Chekov paused. He knew this wasn't starting off on the best note to bring up old history. He had to get them into a fervor for the mission high command had given them.

'I've got to bring this one home, make them understand what we are really doing out here.'.

" Now my brothers and sisters " Chekov glanced at Dostyia and cortana briefly.

" We, one thousand years hence have passed our judgement. In your lifetimes, some of which stretch back to the darkest days our nation, you have seen the Helghast as united people rise up and vow that never again will we be a broken nation. We are larger and stronger then we ever where before our baptism of fire and with your help we will carry the helghast nation to new heights and new glory."

" This is no ordinary shake down run. We have been tasked by high command with going beyond the boundries of our space to seek out new worlds for Helghan to claim, new resources to aquire and if we dare dream, find intelligent life other then our own or that of the dreaded Kobolian oppressors we sought to escape long ago."

"Should we succeed in our mission, we will be hero's. Should we fail, let us not return to bring shame upon the nation."

Truth was, Chekov knew that even if they failed to find extra-terrestrials or a mineral rich world, high command would likely reward months of boredom with praise of their new toy's operating range. Of course it never hurt to make the men and woman under you feel like they were on special operations mission. They would work harder and go about their tasks with more professionalism then if this was revealed to be nothing more then a shake down run. Adding a flavor of theology to the mix, Chekov proceeded to conclude his address to the crew. 

"May God watch over our mission. Hail the five, Hail Helghan!" Chekov exclaimed with a very real tone of pride and determination that no one could fake.

In the hanger, the crew quarters and even the bridge similar proclamations of 'hail helghan' were made in response to chekov's speech.

The Valkyrie's engine's fully engaged warp drive and sped out of the system. Away from the Helghast, the Terrans and final resting stops of the 13 and 14 tribes of kobol.

The crew of the valkyrie were oblivious to the events occuring in the opposite end of galaxy in the cyrannus system. As the sentient machine race known as the cylons rose up against the twelve colonies of kobol and history began to repeat itself. More shocking still would have been the revelation that their five saviors would soon be meeting these cylons and begin work on an offshoot of the Helghast.

... 

2 Months later.

Ben stepped into the bridge elveator and began to ascent the various levels of the valkyrie. All in all the past two months had been rather boring affairs. They had managed to find several asteroid belts with unknown minerals deposits however. High command had been notified and Ben was fairly certain that the top brass would call the mission a success even if that was all they found out here.

The elevator stopped and the door opened to reveal Zaneth Tiberious, a somewhat imposing T-800 series or 'terminator' as they liked to be called.

" Morning Ben " The terminator greeted as it stepped into the elevator.

" You know full well their is no morning or night in space " Ben responded.

The terminators were very young. While the centaurs had built and then downloaded their conciousness into the new zaku bodies, the terminators had been designed by the helghast humanoids. They looked like humanoids with their bodies resembling a human skeleton made of metal. The helghast had even made it possible to attach organic tissue over the metal exoskeletons, often serving allow terminators to feel more at home amongst them and the ferosians. In the end though they were all machines, few terminators wore artificial outer skin but those that chose to do so claimed it gave them a greater sense of individuality.

Terminators had existed for less then a hundred years and as far as anyone could tell, their numbers paled in comparison to either of the other three branches of the helghast family. They were built to help infiltrate gangs of humanoid helghast that still harbored or began to show signs of anti-union sentiment. Every now and then a humanoid helghast would think itself above the more mechanical of their speicies and the state simply couldn't risk such people ever becoming strong enough to threaten the rebuilding of their civilization. Terminators in full organic cover up would often infiltrate and eliminate all of the cell members. They had no mercy.

The terminators were eager and often overzealous in attempting to please high command. They were the first of a whole new segment of the helghast race. The first models were the tracked T-1's with dual gattling cannon attached in place of arms, designed to keep order but also with modifications doubling as a kind of heavy duty forklift. The hunter killers came into being around the same time, serving first as scouts and then later as they developed, close air support for internal security troops. Every year the best Hunter killers would take part in contest with their Ferosian Ospray counter parts. While the Osprey were highly manuevarable helicopters, they lacked any real sentience and required a human pilot, Hunter killers like their Vulture fighter cousins grew and matured more like the exotic birds that had inhabited helghan before judgement day.

" I'm talking about Helghast time Europa sector. Right now its about 7:45am. " Zaneth explained.

" If thats the case then mind enlightening me as to why the captain urgently requested our presence on the bridge ?" Ben asked, not understanding how sleep or helghast time zones could possibly factore into life aboard the valkyrie.

"We've detected a craft sitting dead in space" Zaneth explained as the doors finished closing and the elevator ascended carrying them up to the bridge.

" Kobolian ?" Ben asked somewhat alarmed. They hadn't seen or heard from kobol in 2000 years, for them to come in contact with one another could prove disasterous.

"That is highly unlikely, kobol is on the opposite side of the galaxy, it would take years to make it their if we even knew exactly where it was" Zaneth chastised as though it were the most obvious thing in the three worlds.

" Federation then ?" Ben concluded.

" That would be one hell of a coincidence Ben... " Zaneth rebuked as the elevator continued to climb upward.

"You expect me to believe our Republics most prized warship has discovered a vessel of Alien origin on its maiden run then ?". Ben questioned with a hint of suspicion only helghast could pick out from the synthesized monotone voice of the Zaku.

"Logic would dictate such a scenario to be the most likely. And technically its two vessels, one appears to be damaged." Zaneth responded.

The elevator doors opened before Ben could pepper Zaneth with questions. Such as why the terminator appeared to be so knowledgable about this sudden contact.

" Good your both here " Chekov greeted.

" Wouldn't miss it for the world commander " Zaneth responded.

"suck up" Ben mused internally.

" We entered the system a couple minutes ago and we didn't pick up the contact initially. One of our vultures found the two ships on the other side of nearby moon. We're using it for cover until we attain more info on the contacts.". Chekov stated.

The holographic projection that was cortana materialized into being atop the command terminal. Looking up at the captain she smiled and began to explain the reason for her appearent giddiness.

"Thier puney captain. Especially the smaller vessel. It looks cobbled together and worn while the larger vessel is like some kind of insectoid".

" Insectoid Cortana ? Like the cockroaches back home or something even less plesent?." Chekov asked curiously.

" Despite heavy damage, the ship appears to have a head" cortana made air quotes for emphasis "like that of a helghast wasp pre judgement day. Hell the damn thing is sporting legs for crying out loud".

"Why would it need legs ?" Dostyia questioned.

" Could be a landing craft of some sort " Ben speculated. " either that or it could be a machine race of giant wasps " Cortana and chekov stared at Ben a good few seconds trying to decide weather to take the last half of his little hypothesis seriously.

" Well I'm pretty sure we can rule out giant metal space bugs my cycloptic friend, I can't detect any neural interfaces or even nearby settlements. " Cortana responded somewhat sarcastically when mentioning 'metal space bugs'.

" So we're going with it being some exotic landing craft then. What about the other craft, any intel from our scouts". Chekov asked.

"The vultures are reporting its smaller then the first craft, maybe 50 meters or so compared to the wasp 'things' 70 or so meters. I'm also getting reports of what appear to be disabled weapons and evidence of combat damage on the larger ships outer hull." Cortana elaborated.

"So we might be dealing with someone else's war here. Is there any way we can communicate with them ?" Chekov asked gazing at cortana and hoping she'd say something positive about this increasingly complex situation.

"The vultures have picked up wireless radio transmissions on the same frequency on both vessels, originating from the smaller vessel and received by unknown contacts on the wasp ship. I'd venture a guess its probably a boarding party of some sort doing mop up work."

" This is what we do. Dostyia, you and Ben take a heavy HK loaded with 8 soldiers, 4 heavy , 4 light and board the larger of the two craft. Attempt to make contact and for gods sake don't get trigger happy. We have no idea what or who we are dealing with here. " Chekov instructed his XO and ground troop commandant.

" How do we get inside the ship ? I The HK's are pretty larger and they dont appear to have any bays." Dosyia questioned.

" The a few maintenance sentinals will piggy back on the transports. Which brings me to my next point. I want a second team on stand by"

" Who's going to lead the second team if myself and Dostya tasked with the first boarding party ?" Ben asked, disliking the increased probability of a certain outcome more with each second.

"Zaneth will lead the second squad, all heavy zauku's armed with laser rifles and one arc trooper. If you and Dostya run into trouble I don't want to take any chances." Chekov finished.

"You can count on me sir." Zaneth beamed.

"I'm hoping it won't come to that sargent." Chekov replied somberly.

" We'll use the utmost caution captian, if it comes to a fight I'm sure Ben and I will be able to handle ourselves." Dostya spoke up.

"Just be careful. You have your orders, dimissed, birds will launch in 10 minutes".

...


	6. Chapter 6

**Contact...**

(perspective of the quarian/volus/one asari crew aboard MSV Elun. Elun is a quarian vessel updated and obtained through the backing of a volus with connections to the blue suns, one blue merc asari serving as his bodyguard")

...

"Who the space are they ?" Rel Denik asked as he peered out the viewing port of the MSV hefa. Spying four small fighter sized craft zooming about with two larger compatriots coming into view as they joined the festivities. He was beginning to wish he'd paid the batarians more creds to stay around as escorts.

Rel Denik was an unhappy volus. What had begun as a simple salvage operation with quarian's had become infinitely more complicated when those strange craft had made an appearance not long after the quarian commando's had secured the ship.

Denik had agreed to fund the batarian mercs and supply some ships and arms, in exchange for getting the quarians info on their long lost creations the geth, he'd get his hands on any and all tech. Once he got back to illium he'd start his own business selling knock offs of the latest in geth weapons and tech, pushing them as break through designs from his unspecified facilities on Noveria. It was a great plan...until someone else decided to show up.

" They don't look like much, probably blue suns or another group of batarians who want their cut." Shia responded. The purple asari wasn't here for science or tech, she just wanted to get paid and head back to omega for some physical therapy courtesy of afterlife. If the Volus paying her to guard his bulbous ass needed her to shoot a few people, all the better. The guy was technically planning on using her biotics and skills as a former Asari commando to double cross the Quarians and sell the info they gleamed for an inflated price to the migrant fleet. Denik was greedy but Shia could care less as long she got paid. Fifty thousand credits was a lot of money just to sit around and play guard varren but another Fifty thousand to take out the bloodied Quarian commando's would have her swimming in stims and hookers for countless days.

" Those damn bottom feeders should get their asses in gear. So far all they've brought back are some broken bodies of Geth and a few exotic weapons. I have a Salarian friend who would love to tinker with all of this junk but its not going to put Denik industries on the map. I need the ship's logs and locations of supply bases."

"Why the goddess would you want to tangle with Geth ships larger then this one? The damn thing took out two of the five Batarian vessels you sent to disable it." Shia almost shouted. She was beginning to wonder if this Volus suffered head trauma at birth.

" The greater the difficulty, the greater the rewards. If this ship and the Geth salvaged prove to be as intel rich as the Quarians lead us to believe then I'm sure the Salarians will want to send a special tasks group unit to investigate. Anything goes wrong the Turians will step in and I'll be sitting pretty on Illium."

"That's assuming the council gives a Krogans ass what happens to the terminus system." Shia huffed.

" Tell you what, if your doom and gloom scenario pans out I'll get us both lodgings on the citadel and a trip to Sha'ira's to lick our wounds"

" Assuming we make it out of this little complication much less a Geth invasion alive" Shia scoffed

" Don't be so damn presumptuous, I'm paying you to look sexy and kill those scavengers ransacking that Geth ship out their. Not fret like some Asari infant." Denik scolded.

"If the blue suns or some batarian chumps want to get in on the action, we send a few creds their way and they leave us alone. If not, you can prove the tales of your exploits are worth the space on the datapad you gave me". Denik spoke as if he didn't care weather Shia lived or died. Which for the greedy Volus was true.

" I may be one of the most lethal bitches on Omega but I'm not a damn justicar Denik! Killing a dozen quarian commando's is easy. Hell I could probably kill a thousand just by sneezing on the limp wrist-ed bastards but those Batarians and blue suns are another matter.".

just then a slight vibration shook their vessel somewhat. So distracted where they in arguing the merits of the new arrivals they had failed to notice as one of the two larger ships had broken off and proceeded to attach land itself atop the Geth drop ship.

" What are they thinking ? Their are other docking terminals besides the one we're using. Batarians, four eye's and they miss the obvious. I'll be sure to deduct that from their cut" Denik swore testily.

" Unless their not Batarian's, in which case those bottom feeders should get a heads up we have company. Makes less work for me when I have to paint their visors red from the inside out " Shia added chuckling at the end.

" Your right. if we let Keshek's team get slaughtered by this band of pirates by being unawares it jeopardizes our little business venture. I'll radio Keshek and make those pests lose a few more of their squad before we cut em down. "

Shia shrugged. The damn Volus wondered why the council races kept them off the council, when even the Salarians could be effective fighters. The quarian commando's weren't Asari but they could put up enough of a fight. The Volus just hid behind the Turians and ordered people around with their deep pockets. 

"Besides, they might as well make them selves useful doing something other then putting their filthy paws all over my new inventory."

-

keshak Vas Meridian being a seasoned quarian commando squad leader felt something was wrong with this operation since the admiralty handed it down to him and his squad. He'd entered this accursed geth ship expecting slow moving and lightly armored targets for his men to chew through. The geth in their almost three centuries of isolation had evolved though and he'd paid the price for it.

Keshak activated his omni-tools communications device, patching him through to his second squad. In reality it wasn't much to look at given that just two of his soldiers where guarding the daughter of one of the admiralty boards less influential members. The jumpy youngster hadn't even gone on pilgrimage, somehow her father thought keshek's men should be her babysitters while she just 'happened' to discover and bring back geth tech to the fleet.

"Sergent Trisco Zavara come do you copy, over ?"

" Copy that commander, Trisco here. We've cleared out the geth. I can't find any of the damn rogue AI's anywhere." Trisco responded over his omni tool.

" How's our guest doing ?"

" As well as can be expected sir. She obviously hasn't seen much outside the fleet, she's still jumpy about the geth. I've got her searching through one of the bigger geth we took out. bastards around ten feet tall or so. We'll try to drag it back to you when we're through here". Trisco said.

" Just keep her safe. I don't need the admiralty board exiling me for killing one of their pampered offspring in a covert operation that isn't even supposed to exist".

" Will do commander. "

" I've got a transmission coming in from Denik. The fat bastard probably wants to know what's taking so long. "

" Any faster and we'd have lost our whole squad instead of just over half sir. The walking respirator should get down here and help if he's so concerned about speed or better yet he could send that asari slut of his to lend a hand. We wouldn't of lost Brelik or the others if we'd had her biotics with us when we charged into this death trap!" Trisco finished his rant. Aware that Denik was probably listening in on their squads conversation's but some how not caring after all the things he'd endured.

"Your out of line Trisco. I don't like this boshtet ordering us around but we won't have another shot like this to grab intel on the geth. The admiralty thinks we could someday take back our homeworld with the information this ship and its former occupants will provide.

a loud clang sounded down the hallway Trisco had already searched. Seconds later the ship was rocked with light vibrations as craft latched onto it from the outside. Though Trisco and Keshek weren't aware of this. While Trisco might have liked to report the odd turn of events to his commander he found the communications line busey as Denik undoubtedly began to occupy his commander time.

-

" Keshek here"

"Nice to know you answer your omni-tool when its conveniant clanless. " Denik began with poorly hidden irritation lacing his voice.

" I was busy collecting intel from a member of my squad. Seems his group has found more salvagable technology to benifit 'our' little partnership Denik."

" I don't need excuses for your lack of discipline keshek."

A moment passed by as the volus's trademark weezing filled the communication channel

" There's been a development. Seems the batarian's weren't content with our deal. That or some other low life scavengers have come to take what belongs to us."

"I like how whenever actual fighting is involved my team get stuck fitting the bill while you sit on your little ship with your bodyguard safe and sound. I'm sure she'd be more then a match for any intruders. Unless you cheated the batarians that helped us take this vessel to begin with, then your stupid as well as greedy Denik".

" How dare you! I financed this whole operation Keshek, I wouldn't need to worry about short changing those drug running pirates once this is over. I'll have more money then a god and you'd better remember that clanless, knowing me will get you things you wouldn't imagine having otherwise. Those batarians are probably just resorting to their nature and if its one of the more established gangs, well your men seem more then sufficient to the task. If we can't pay them off then your to take care of them, you can have whatever they have on them once their handled. "

" Whatever you want Denik but we need to renegotiate our little deal once this is over. Too many lives were cut short carelessly on this mission because you couldn't be patient. I'll make sure you pay the price for that when our cut comes due."

" There won't be anything to cut if those thugs entering the geth ship loot everything Keshek. I suggest you get your men together and deal with this little problem."

The communications line promptly severed.

- meanwhile -

Teli Vas Noria didn't know what to feel. Growing up she'd never wanted for anything, she'd been the first of classmates to get a new environmental suite. The same applied to when it came time to upgrade to a newer omni-tool, her classmates receiving second hand models often from their parent while her father would manage to get her the more expensive new models sold on Ilium.

She'd been unprepared for the geth. They lay broken and defeated at her feet now but too many of her fellow squad mates had been killed doing it in her opinion. Of course they didn't think of her as such, her father's influence was the only reason she was part of the boarding party or the playing a role in the secret dealings between her father and the volus funding the operation. Her father had told her to be weary of him but she suspected he was of little consequence without the blue asari backing him up with her biotics.

clang!

" What was that ? Are their more geth ?" Teli asks Sergent Trisco. Nervously she tightens her grip on her pistol, hoping that having never fired a gun until today, her skills have improved to the point where she might stand a chance against one of the geth monsters. She glances at the ten foot tall geth broken on the floor a few feet away and involuntarily shudders.

" I don't know Teli vas Noria but I can bet your father would be remiss if you got yourself killed. Get behind us while..." Just then Trisco's command was interrupted by the sound of commander keshek barking orders through the communications lines.

" Trisco, It appears we've found ourselves between Denik and a group of batarians he managed to piss off or a group of rogue pirates come to steal our catch. I want you to stay put until we reach you. Keshek out".

Stay put ? To Teli Vas Noria the daughter of an admiral, such orders seemed condescending. If these were the same batarians Denik had used to help take the geth ship then she could negotiate for the migrant fleet and make the problem disappear. Maybe even buy some muscle to use on the volus, doubly so if it turned out to be eclipse or blood pack mercs.

" I've got this!" Teli shouted. A smile hidden beneath her mask as she sprinted away from her squad mates.

'They'll probably be falling all over themselves once I get that volus off our backs. I can just imagine the look on the commanders face when I..."

She had rounded one hallway and then another. Following the general direction of the noise that indicated a boarding party had come aboard. She'd heard more sounds as she neared her destination. A rich mix of language she couldn't place but supposed batarians who tended to remain isolated in their own space, must have one more surprise to give the galaxy.

"Anhänger und wird getrennt von Ihrem Trupp nicht. Das ist eine erste Kontakt-Situation mit Ausländern, und ich werde Sie nicht haben, es schraubend, wegen, glücklicher Abzug zu sein."

-

"Fan out and don't get separated from your squad. This is a first contact situation with aliens and I will not have you screwing it up for the sake of being trigger happy." Ben Nil ordered as his ground troops began to form up.

Dostya smiled at Ben's eagerness to command soldiers in the field. As she began to head toward one end of the hallway while Ben was to take the other, an artificial sounding voice and a gunshot wiped the smile from her face.

-

"Geth !" Teli screamed as she came around the corner to see the boarding party. She'd expected to see all manner of creatures if it turned to be someone other then batarians. She hadn't expected to see the seven foot tall monster that awaited her as she turned the corner.

Its red eye that seemed to glow menacingly swiveled in her direction. Most geth tended to have the standard or what she though was standard glowing single white eye. This beast must have been one of their newer models, meant to intimidate her people no doubt as its red eye expressed no emotion though it must surely hate her as she did it.

As it began to turn toward her, she noticed its weapons. A gun that must have been 70 inches long and most certainly meant to do her harm was offset by the crudely primitive melee weapon. She wasn't sure what it was but it looked like it could leave a terrible gash in her suit.

She raised her pistol and fired three quick bursts and ran as fast as her out of shape legs could carry her. Swearing mentally for once in her life that her pampered upbringing had allowed her to refrain from taking the required physical courses like other young quarians growing up in the migrant fleet.

-

Dostya had spun around and trained her weapon on the position the alien had just occupied, she wasn't alone as the boarding party collectively did the same. All except for private tombs. The zaku lay in a heap on the floor, its chest blown apart from the impacts of the aliens weapon. fluides began to pool around tombs body, his eye once shinning with the red light of life now simply stared unknowingly ahead.

" Holy shit they killed tombs !" sgt pesky exclaimed.

" Well at least now we know their hostile Sergent. Did anyone see what kind of weapon the alien used ?" Dostya asked trying to keep her nerves from betraying her. For all her talk and somewhat emotionless demeanor during the maiden voyage of the valkyrie, she had never experienced real combat which made the sight of Tombs blood increasingly uneasy to stomach. Her eye's moved away from tombs body and stared into Ben's single one, glad for once that her mask and goggles prevented him from seeing the array of emotions that undoubtedly were playing across her face.

" A pistol. " private max Tarteris said, her voice emotionless. " A fuck'n pistol chewed up Tombs like he was made of aluminum." After a moment he added " And I think it was female sir".

"What makes you say that private Tarteris ?" Dostya asked, wanting to know how the sex of these aliens could be so apparent to the private if these were aliens and this truly was a first contact situation.

" it had a rack sir. Nothing to write home about but I know breasts when I see them...no offense intended commander Dostya." He hastily added to his almost boastful statement.

" There is the possibility we are dealing with kobolians though that seems illogical given our location relative to that planet." Ben seemed to supply and then dispel his hypothesis in the same statement. If these were kobolians then they obviously had been busey developing new ways to kill each other and their creations if private Tarteris's description was accurate. Kobolians tended to be in the business of sacrifices and outdated social customs, certainly wouldn't be the type of civilization to send off woman to fight when some it was rumored had sacrificed those deemed too weak to live. Dostya remembered as a child having to hear her parent lecture her that some kobolians thought it would appease their gods enough that they would not cause war or disease to spread amongst them. She had been and still was disgusted by the notion of being reduced to nothing more then popping out babies and be excluded from certain work, much less killing her offspring to appease false gods. If these were kobolians, no matter how enlightened they had become, they still deserved no mercy for what they had done to her ancestors in the past.

She glanced down at Tombs body one last time. Or the present.

" Well we can forget about splitting up sub-commander Dostya. Even with her weapon, our enemy is outnumbered by a wide margin. Recommending we purse and if possible detain her." Ben's eye swiveled and took in Tombs body. "Though I would not be remiss if she were uncooperative and needed to be terminated." Ben said. Emotionless the zaku may look but Dostya and all the helgast present could detect an underpinning of anger behind his words.

" Couldn't agree with you more Ben." Dostya responded wearily.

Flicking off the safety of her rifle as others did the same she added in a more cheerful tone.

" Let's get that bitch!"

-

Sergent Trisco Zavara swore within his helmet. ' The stupid little princess couldn't just follow orders could she. No she had to go galavanting off to a bunch of batarians at worse, eclipse at best.'

As he and his squad mate kesseks vas velu rounded a corner they came crashing into Teli.

"Where have you been !" Trisco asked simmering with rage.

" Geth! That was a geth boarding party. I don't know how we didn't catch them on approach but their here. I might have grazed one with my pistol." She added the last bit hoping it could make up for the foolishness she'd displayed.

" How many were there ?" Trisco asked, his anger trading places with his usual professional demeanor.

" Maybe a dozen. I was more concerned with getting out alive before they noticed me." Teli hollered at Trisco.

Just as he was about to ask another question. The hallway ahead of them was filled with what he suspected were geth. Two large mechanical looking giants strode forward. Catching sight of him, they opened fire.

Trisco ducked behind some supply crates. Disliking their current position put them in a small room intersecting various other halls to who knows where. Trisco wondered why the geth had so many on this ship of their's, it seemed pretty damn inefficent. As the group approached his pitiful squad, he did the only thing he could think of. He raised his weapon and let it roar to life in a quick burst of fire.

Daring to tempt fate he peered over a console he'd ducked behind glancing briefly. His shots had grazed one of the rogue AI but shredded the other. Trisco wasn't about to attribute his handy work to miracles but geth shielding should have easily held back that brief exchange of fire. Regardless of why these geth seemed to be technologically inferior to the one's he'd faced earlier, he had a job to do. He could worry about the technical advancement when his squadmates and the admiral's daughter was out of harms way.

The geth had dived to either side of adjoining halls. Possibly side compartments, Trisco wasn't sure. In the end he didn't care.

-

Sargent Verner fired off a full clip from his StA52 assault rifle. The close quarters of the ship made the somewhat inaccurate helghast rifle perfect for the close engagement with these aliens.

"Why won't they just die, they already got max and tombs. The bastards just keep firing away like they've got an endless supply of ammo stashed back there" Jan barked.

"Quit your bitching private. Our reinforcements are on the way, we've got them outnumbered and out gunned." Verner shouted over the gun fire.

" Are dense ? The fuckers get hit with our rounds and they just deflect off some blue barrier. We should evac the hell out and blow this ship apart, take these aliens along with it". Jan replied in a panicked tone.

"Negative private. Our orders are clear, we make contact and if hostile we eliminate them and take control of the vessel. If need be, we'll die carrying out our orders, these 'things' can't be allowed to enter helghast or Terran space with that kind of fire power. "

" Fuck you Ben! I'm getting the hell away from this cluster fuck. ". With that private Jan Gurren committed his first and last act of treason. Using the lul in gun fire as a good sign. He sprinted away from the zaku into the open hallway and toward the other side perimeter. Ben raised his Sta2 Light machine gun and was a split second from taking aim and firing the weapon into the back of the cowardly soldier when several enemy rounds beat him to it.

The first to go were the legs, then shoulders. Jan's legless body spun and began to fall. A hundred rounds proceeded to enter the helghast's body. At least four shooters had taken aim at the young private. His arms were severed as his shoulders blew apart from the impact of the mass accelerated volleys. The face mask and helmet came apart with equal ease, the poor helghast knowing no more agony as his skull fractured and fell away, his brain already having gaping holes from the opening shots of the quarian barrage. The soldiers weapon was like its former wielder, damaged beyond repair, a shot from a quarian sharp shooter splitting the gun in two. The mess that had been a helghast soldier not seconds before was a pile of blackened gore upon the alien crafts floor.

Dostya used her enhanced vision to see the reflection of the aliens off Jan's mostly intact left goggle. What she saw made her heart sink.

" We've got four additional hostiles! Packing serious heat. lay down as much suppressive fire as possible. If that endo doesn't get his ass in here with the calvary then we're pulling back. " Dostya shouted over the chaos of the worsening tactical situation.

" Perhaps I misjudged Captain Chekov's ability to read leadership skills. " Ben stated dryly. Drawing an annoyed yet questioning look from Dostya.

" If you were leading the second strike team, then perhaps private Gurren would not have shown his true colors all over that wall" Ben pointed to the black spatter on the wall between them that had become a kill zone between both groups of helghast.

" That's flattering Ben " Dostya shouted as she clicked in another ammo drum into her assault rifle. " But right now we've got to hope that endo saves our asses, if his teams fancy new experimental rifles can even touch those demons." She finished pointing the end of her rifle around the corner and letting loose her anger at Zanath's tardiness in the form of several short bursts directed at the aliens who had cut down her squad mates.

... 


	7. Chapter 7

Peter Gavinek had been a sensible man most of his life. He'd had a wife and two daughters and a pet varren imported special from Feros. That world that was like a graveyard of civilization, had given far more to the Terran and Helghast then a common pet. The animals had been pack hunters and the terrans had found domesticating the damn things a full time job.

Often killing adults and raising the young pups up themselves. A Terran and his varren were said to be the best of friends, though Gavinek wished he'd gotten a dog instead. He knew that the animals of Helghan were different, on purely genetic level they had bread with local mammals, which had been surprising enough until the results of these couplings had popped up. Some had been pathetically small creatures that seemed to struggle with long flights of stairs while others where lumbering beasts fit the role of assisting law enforcement and hunters alike almost as well as the alien varren.

He'd been busy with his work at Umbra's newest research facility that night. For security reasons it had been placed underground past checkpoints in case someone on the upper floors ever got nose. He'd help found the start up right out of school with his friend Paul kajeck. He'd supported most of the early work with the money made off his patent for 'multi-cellular regeneration compound'. His people had fled Kobol to escape slavery but in the end had treated their metal brothers and sisters as second class citizens. Something he'd regretted then and did so today.

More then one sleepless night had passed where his mind had wandered to that day his life changed. Judgment day was thought of as punishment for the sins of those times, the times before the rediscovery of resurrection that had saved them and the peace treaty that made them one people at long last. Peter simply wanted to know why Catherine, Elizabeth and Sarah had to die for that all to happen. He hoped his wife and daughters had died quickly, he didn't like to dwell on the horrors that had plagued so many of the survivors.

He walked down the hall of the ministry of military sciences. The two guards, one a zaku, the other a humanoid Helghast like himself saluted. The door hissed open and in he walked. General Sharidan promptly rose from his seat to shake Gavinek hand.

"It's good to see you again Peter " Sheridan greeted.

" Likewise George. What have you got for me this time?" Peter asked.

" It could be something it could be nothing. Our deep space probes we sent out in the direction of kobol have been returning some unsettling images as of late "

" Define unsettling George "

" On the order of space distortions and spiked levels of radioactive emissions, the kind caused human hands." George responded.

Peter was stunned momentarily by the idea of it. space distortions let alone radioactive signatures coming from Kobol's neck of the woods. They, Helghast and Terran had kept away from the planet they fled two thousand years before. Yet if it was from Kobol itself, their was the remote possibility someone in intel might have also seen it. Peter being in the high command and a top science officer would have seen the reports on his desk.

"Why are you saying it could be nothing ? If its Kobol then we know its the humans. " Peter knew there had to be more to this somehow.

" The probe that dispatched the images and energy read-outs had gone far off course, well past our buffer zone near kobol space and beyond the planet itself. We are still processing some of the read outs but it appears our probe might have stumbled into a new solar system."

" And you think its full of hostiles ? For all we know we could be sandwiching our old masters between ourselves and extra terrestrial civilization bent on its demise " Peter said. His face looked ready to explode in laughter at the prospect of ET going to war against his people's old masters armed with nukes and space ships.

" I had one of my more trustworthy officers fling a second probe past the buffer zone toward Kobol..." Sheridan began.

" My god, do you realize what high command will do if it finds out you sent a probe toward Kobol ? I should be able to keep it from going beyond a demotion but that if we're lucky"

"Its dead. " Sheridan spoke.

" What do you mean. 'It's dead' ? The probe ?" Peter asked suddenly derailed by Sheridans somewhat somber attitude.

" The planet. No radio transmissions, space ports, anything. Its all one big green mass of vegetation and ruins. The reconnaissance photo's show the ruins of the old temple's our ancestors help slave away at to build."

"So they died off right ? You found evidence of a plague or something right because the alternative doesn't look good." Peter pleaded somewhat. He had a sinking feeling he knew where this was headed.

" God no. The probes are exemplary machines but they can't work miracles. I don't have any concrete info as to why our creators abandoned that hell hole but it appears by all accounts it been unoccupied for maybe as long as we've been on Helghan."

"If that's the case then we'll need to investigate the planet and these damn anomalies beyond it. You could have asked plenty of people in high command for permission to launch an expedition to Kobol or even flown under the radar and sent more probes out toward the anomalies. Why did you request to meet with me in particular, not that I don't mind catching up with old friends.". Peter said.

" I have a feeling in my gut Pete that those explosions and this new solar system all belong to kobolians who left the planet. If that's the case I wouldn't feel comfortable sending out anything short of the Valkyrie in case we run into trouble. Assuming we do run into trouble, we have no way of knowing how many planets or how much firepower our old masters are packing. We could lose a war even with a mountain of Intel and the whole Terran fleet behind us."

" I think your getting ahead of yourself. The Valkyrie isn't due back for another couple of months anyway, once we know the design works we could make more".

"But that's just it! The Valkyrie class star destroyers may be tough as nails against a pack of Terran cruisers but we don't know if that's enough. We can't risk falling under them again Pete. We just can't."

"What do you want me to do about it then. The ship yard on Vekta is four weeks away from launching the Odin and even then we need another six months to year to build a third ship assuming I can get the funding for a third one from the knuckle draggers in procurement." Peter sighed.

" Vekta's not an industrial world, its farm country for crying out loud. But if you show the rest of your pals in high command this info they'll sign off on building yards here just to spread out our assets in case I'm right and they come after us. Besides, don't you have plans for a new star destroyer ?" George asked.

He did have the plans. Everyone had said high command was just getting into a pissing contest with the Terrans and the 1.5 billion credits it cost to build a star destroyer would be better spent elsewhere. He'd ignored them all of course. His colleagues in high command, members of his own staff not to mention some vulture commanders that felt they were sufficient enough to defend Helghan from the only threat they could see, being pirates. But it wouldn't be pirates in orbit around Helghan if George was right. They'd need his newer designs. Both of them.

" Alright. I'll give it everything I've got to get my fellow Helghast in high command see sense. The Republic class Star Destroyer will take longer to build, their twice as big as the Valkyrie class and could cost more then double. High command might not be sold on them just yet." Peter.

" Beyond sheer size why would they cost so damn much ? I mean look around, its not like our planet's lacking in resources." George grinned.

" Because I've tested and designed the Republic class around heavy energy weapons. The anti aircraft lasers were just the start, these puppies will burn through any metal no matter how thick. You can go longer with missiles but missiles can be shot down, you can't shoot down a beam of highly condensed light." Peter finished.

" Why not just fit the new Valkyrie's we build with the heavy lasers then ?" George asked. Suddenly he wanted to know if it really would be better to roll out dozens of two valkyrie's instead of one Republic star destroyer.

" Because the laser's require immense amounts of power. We've developed the most compact fusion generators we could in R&D and now the ship can carry one of the damned heavy lasers and still have juice enough to run everything else. Power issues aside the Valkyrie's were designed more like space based vulture nests then anything else. This ships meant more for combat and...anti-dissident action. " Peter slowly spoke.

" What do you mean, 'anti-dissident action ?" George demanded.

Everyone knew about the loyalty shown by the military to the high command but it didn't help matters this was shown by using the army as a police force to cull opposition. There weren't that many trouble makers but people in charge didn't want things to spiral out of control. For a short time their had been anarchy after judgement day and men like Peter were in high command because among other things, they'd lived through those times and knew the costs of disorder.

"After what the terrans on Feros had to put up with when their fellow terrans on Brittania started making demands, I think you know full well High command didn't want the same happening on Shanxi, god forbid Vekta" Peter breathed out slowly at the nerve racking though of the more or less disciplined helghast nation ever revolting on one another.

" You don't need a damn super laser to put people in line Pete! Do we even know what kind of damage that thing would do to people much less a planet " George asked astonished something could even be considered by the 'wise' individuals in high command.

" No we don't and it probably wouldn't be pretty. I built the design around the laser as a testbed for new research to see if the idea had weight beyond it. The ship carries over fifty heavy guns, not to mention countless numbers of small lasers meant for fending off fighters. Hell at short rang they'd probably damage a ship pretty badly but anything that can get close enough to a Republic star destroyer's AA field doesn't worry about a super laser." Peter dreaded the possibility the offshoots of Kobol could have such ships.

" Well at least I know our government isn't losing its collective mind over keeping people in line. The way Vekta's been going much less Shanxi, I can't see anyone complaining about anything other than waiting in line at market." George had been born well after judgement day but he and Peter both witnessed countless food riots and disorders before their nation stumbled on the bread basket known as Vekta.

"If that's all George, I really should get this information to the rest of high command." Peter asked suddenly aware again of how shocking a revelation this would be to them, he still hoped it was all some fluke.

" God speed old friend. I hope to hell I'm wrong about all this" George deadpanned.

" So do I George, So do I." Peter said.


	8. Chapter 8

Warning: I went ahead and inserted a questionable sex scene in this chapter to earn the M rating and highlight future chapters (very few. like 1 percent) will have mature encounters. The scene is also tied into character development. This chapter was written over a period of days and at one time was inspired by the action of drinking Sam Adams. Enjoy all.

-  
Pico space station, Ferosion Federation member state Britannia

Anthony Slavic stared at his computer screen. At 25 he'd assumed command of FSF Bellona. His fellow cadets had always said he had to have an angel watching over him to get the kind of lucky breaks that came his way.

He'd scored in the top 5% of his graduating class at the naval academy, beating out wealthier not to mention more pampered sons and daughters of the Federation.

On Orlos he'd been a nobody, just a bottom feeder the nobility was forced to tolerate. It still surprised him that he'd traded one decadent self absorbed world for another, Orlos had never had the gall to try to break away from the nation of humanity.

He reclined back into his commanders chair as a smile crept upon his features. Then the homeworld had sent the little upstarts screaming in fright praying to the big man ,or woman for the Orlosians. The sight of forty thrown together ships of war, deemed cruisers by the top brass of the time had ushered in the age of the Ferosian Space Forces though to its enlisted men it simply was refered to as the Ferosian Navy. Plenty of the ships had been thrown together piles of junk by todays standards.

'How they ever thought to confront pirates let alone an armed insurrection boggles the mind.' Slavic mused. Those forty little ships had been no more then 20 to 40 meters in length. Cobbled together with rocket pods and primitive cannon. To the unprepared and shocked Britanians it must have seemed like an armada of death.

"It's incredible isn't it Ashly?" Slavic asked his first mate.

"What's that sir ?" Ashly asked in a professional tone that betrayed generations of military service running in her family.

" That years ago fourty ramshackled vessels could cull a planet wide rebellion and prevent a civil war. Yet today we could wipe that whole fleet out of the sky and have ammo left over for pot shots at an asteroid field" Slavic stated, still in awe at the power at his finger tips.

" The Bellona's a top of the line ship sir. I'm sure we'd have enough ammo for two asteroid fields at the minimum."

" Flattery will get you everywhere leutent but the Bellona isn't just a top of the line ship in the Ferosian Navy. It is the Navy. Once we complete her shake down runs to New Feros and back we'll be building this gal an extended family that would make the kobolians trip over themselves praying to their precious pantheon."

"I'll be happy crippling those damn Orlosian pirate cartels sir. Kobol can get swallowed up by a supernova for all I care...uh sir" Ashly williams finished.

The Bellona came equipped with heavily reinforced armor and packed a whopping 8 main guns. Though four of them came in the form of two dual heavy cannon mounted one apieace atop and bellow the ship. The multiple dimensions of space combat had caused the last minute modification to the design.

" You can call me Anthony when its just you and me Ash. No one's around right now save for you, me and about twelve or so techie's doing god know's what with the fighter's in the hanger bays."

"Alright si..anthony. Why did we have to install hanger bays on both sides of the ship ? I heard the original prints called for one hanger bay. The other end was going to be missile tube or something." Ashly asked, curious why the top brass had to have fighters on the newest edition to the fleet to begin with.

" Well Ash, I don't know who blabbed about top secret military designs but since your curious. The burracrats on Feros thought it would look better if we could match the helghast fighter for fighter when put alongside one of their vulture carriers." Slavic supplied with a tone of sarcasm that said he thought the idea was nothing but a bunch of government bullshit. To him the politicians backing the project from the homeworld couldn't pilot much less design a craft for the Ferosian navy.

" Why would we ever need to upstage the helghast sir ? We're allies after all and..." Slavic cut her off before she could go into a tirade retelling the many mutual struggles of the helghast and humanity, cheif among them being the exodus from persecution on kobol thousands of years past.

" Because some people forget where they come from Ash. Our ancestors may have struggled together and died together on kobol but almost two milenia later we're itching to compete with someone, anyone weather its corporations or the latest military hardware. Besides the pirates between shipping lanes have been getting more organized. A few private craft with rockets pods is still a force to be reckoned with if they gang up on our cruisers."

" But they'd be useless against fighters sir" Ashly chimed in, realization hitting her a moment later.

" Correct Ash. Now because some big whigs in the halls of power want to compare the size of their guns, we've got fighter overkill. Hell you could park the Bellona in the middle of a shipping route and scout out pirate ambush positions from a safe distance, not to mention overwhelm the cowardly bastards". Slavic finished.

The Cobra Mark III was the latest air superiority fighter, it had been adapted for space combat and had thus far proven quit the hell raiser among merc and pirates alike. Sporting a wingspan of twenty meters and a length of eight, the cockpit and engine made up at least five of those meters. Pilots complained of the cramped conditions of the cylindrical cockpit at first but gladly accepted the addition of dual machine gun cannon and four missiles over Cobra Mark II's two.

The fighter relied on sheer speed over manuverability, pilots could for example out run a vulture in a race but in a dogfight as unlikely a prospect as it was, the vultures would surely win out every time. The main engine was mounted behind the pilot and assisted by six small thrusters meant to flare up individually depending on the direction the pilot wished to take. The craft traveled at Mach one point three while in atmosphere and around Mach one point seven in space. Its predecessor could make the Cobra Mark II could make faster turns but sacrificed speed for manuverability with just one missile on each wing and one gun cannon in the nose of the craft, the two Merva rocket thrusters took up the rest of the space below the wings. Its top speed while being less then its successor was outweighed by having nearly three times the operational range making it favored by enough admirals to make it the primary fighter of the Federation navy and air forces. The Bellona on the other hand could only have the latest hardware and opted to prove itself and the new Cobra III fighter deserving of being the new mainstay of the fleets and air patrols.

RD was rumored to have more compact and exotic designs in the works. Tecmo Industrial Enterprises was supposedly deaming up fighters based on cylindrical ball design of Banshee Works, Cobra III cockpit. Pilots certainly hoped the former didn't win any new contracts any time soon.

With no major space conflicts having erupted between Ferosians and their cousins on Kobol, who had yet to show themselves after two thousand years of silence. Fighters to the chagrin of pilots everywhere were considered a luxury item. More then one politician wanted to lease out the duty of patrolling Federation space to helghast vulture squads in the name cost reduction.

"So fighters and cannon I can understand but what the hell is that little port in the nose of the ship right below the command observation deck supposed ot be ?"

No one knew what the latest tech add on had brought to the table, only that it tripled the budget for the Bellona and set the maiden launch back several months. Slavic had known well in advance he'd be commanding the Bellona and had cherry picked his perfect crew with the original launch date in mind. When that time got pushed back unexpectedly he'd kept busy with training sims and seen what the night life on Britannia had to offer. When admiral jackson had locked the door in his office a week earlier and explained the run down mission and several 'cosmetic' and 'technical' modifications, he'd given slavic one question to ask about the ship. It could have been anything from regulations to personal grooming habits, Jackson had sworn on his family crest to answer honestly whatever slavic asked.

Slavic had asked about the ugly little addition that had drawn more then one crude comment from the crew in relation to the finer points of the mail anatomy. Now he was glad he had.

"It's supposed to be some type of new cannon. More powerful then anything we've ever seen if what they tell me is true. I think the dual guns are strong enough but the egg heads claim the ancient ruins on Feros wielded some treasure trove of technical info thats supposed to jump our tech ahead centuries or so they say. I'm just happy the damn thing is installed and the ships out of drydock."

"I don't mean to overstep my rank Anthony, but where exactly is our newest and most expensive piece of space faring tech headed ?" Ashly asked feeling freer now to be open with her commander.

" We're actually going to be headed into Helghast space. Shouldn't take us more then a few days to clear the Attican Beta cluster and head to Helghan's furthest in system neighbor." Anthony said.

"We're taking Bellona to scout a giant ice ball in space sir ?"

Slavic gave a sigh. No matter how hard he tried to break Ashly out of her military mindset of regulations and protocol, it always came roaring back. Some days he really wished she'd lighten up a bit.

"I don't think our robotic friends would like you refering to their little scientific outpost as an ice ball Ash. Besides the Helghast have been cracking that so called 'ice ball' for generations now so we could have a plentiful supply of exotic water for our showers on Feros." After thinking it over a bit he hastened to add.

"And those resorts on Mars wouldn't be the same! Granted its just a territory to the helghast but if you've got the credits to gamble away, it helps the helghast look the other way when it comes to legal matters." Slavic's smile threatened to break his face as he recalled earlier points in his career where shore leave had found him between the sheets of some rather adventures red eye'd beuties.

'Thank goodness you couldn't get them pregnant!' he thought with a sense of relief. The alternative would have left him dodging child support payment and trying to hide out on any of the eight worlds that would have him.

" So besides gambling and floozies being happy on mars, what exactly does Plutora have to offer that beggs our visit" Ashly asked attempting to steer the conversation back toward something relevant to their situation.

"You don't need to know Lt Sanders." Chief science officer Timothy Galan said as he seemed to appear out of nowhere, spooking Slavic and Ashly Sanders instantly.

"Don't you ever knock ? I swear most normal people you can hear coming but you show up out of thin air. I should strap a bell on you or I'll go grey before my time Galan"

" Our automatic door tend to woosh open on approach so knocking's out of the question, as for your inability to be aware of my approach. Maybe it's all those years of partying too close to Orlosian bands finally catching up to you." Galan chided with a chuckle.

Timothy Galan could be called many things but serious was not one of them. If Ashly Sanders took her duty to heart, he kept it at arms length. Without his genuise and its ability to discover information on Feros former inhabitants that seemed to elude everyone else, he probably would be on the bridge of the FSF Bellona interrupting his Captain's attempts at small talk leading to conduct unbecoming an officer.

" I'll take that under advisement Galan." Slavic stated in an annoyed and sarcastic tone.

" So what brings you here to the relm of mere mortals ? " Slavic inquired with a sarcastic emphasis on 'mortals'. It was well known Galan was rather full of himself.

" Figured you and Lt Sanders would like to know what this top secret mission is all about." Galan stated sliding into one of the few command bridges chairs and propping his feet up on the console facing him.

" Thought you said I didn't need to know , what with my only being a Lt and all." Ashly added. The way Galan carried himself around the ship made her remember why should had such a hard time fitting in with civies on shore leave. They thought they were entitled to everything and had no respect for the people that made their lives possible.

"You don't need to know Lt Sanders but since I'm lax on regulations I'd thought I'd share with you too. Saves Slavic the time of assigning you a task on the other side of the ship only to come running back once we conclude our oh so secret briefing"

"As much as I appreciate the concern for my ever precious time Dr.G" Slavic began

Now it was Dr. Timothy Galan's turn to look annoyed.

" I'd be more appreciative of knowing exactly why we got stuck hauling this puppy out into the middle of nowhere. The orbital water refinery's are a sight to behold but their not that astonishing." said slavic

"Actually we've been doing some decoding of old text at the institute that seems to indicate a device of some sort is near Plutora's moon Charon. Possibly on or inside it." Galan finished.

"After we get done laying some specialized drones around the moon its off to chase UFO's."

"You've gotta be shitting me Dr.G. UFO's as in aliens ? As in little green men on the latest sci-fi thriller. Next you'll be telling me they've got a means of interplanetery travel consisting of worm holes and involving mysterious gateways." Slavic chastised with a slight laugh ending his declaration.

" Truth be told I don't think its a UFO at all captain. Our sensors detected a ship leaving helghast space a few days ago. Once we handle charon we'll be able to drop in on what I suspect is our allies newest toy. Gives you and whoever's commanding this unknown vessel a chance to compare equipment." Galan finished in a somewhat mischeviouse tone.

In two days the FSF Bellona would launch and yet one Lt Ashly J. Sanders couldn't contain the blush the crept into her face as the two men near her carried on their conversation.

Unknown Location

"He's beutiful, Saul" A woman coo's.

"He comes from good stock." An old man in his fifties explains as he encircles the woman from behind.

" They all do. We're going to make it work this time because they don't have that fear, that hate. " A younger man states.

A young dark skinned woman appears in a doorway. "Don't suppose anyone would like to see my latest creation. He's really quite the puppy dog once you get to know him. " She turns her head to look back into the hallway she had just come from.

clank. clank. clank.

A large chrome humanoid steps forth from the shadows. At eight feet tall it easily towers over the rooms occupants. It's eye roams from left to right.

Wirelessly it sends its message to those it see's before it.

'Family'

The centurion's head swivels to one side to stare down at Torey Foster. The woman fails to hold back the tears that that stream down her face as the machine sends it's next message to her. This time a question.

'mother ?'

" Yes little one. I'm your mother." With her tears staining the floor of their colony, she hugs the centurion around the midsection.

Another man joins the group dripping in liquids but smiling all the same. "I've got some wonderful news you gu..." his words died on his lips as he caught sight of the love of his life embracing a mechanical behometh he'd helped her build not long ago. Truth be told he'd helped with the servo's and gun cannon. This labor of love was a union of his mechanical skills with her sleek designs. She'd also worked alongside Ellen to create an advanced intelligence ontop of the foundations the colonial machines were based on. Learning of Zoe and Tamara had been a shock but right now that was the furthest thing from his mind as the red eye of the new centurion came to rest on him.

'Father ?'

" Hello big fella. Someone's been eating their greens. " He joked lamely. Admiring the ease with which it moved toward him, he was unprepared when in one swift movement it picked him up off the ground in a hug emulating the actions of its 'mother'.

"Fuck. We know the little bastards a strong one don't we." The elderly man of the group commented good naturedly, taking a playful shove to the side by Ellen in jest.

"Please Saul. Not in front of the children." Ellen said in a good natured if some what scolding tone.

Just then a coughing sound caught the attention of the whole group. Their first 'organic' child was waking up.

"Gah! Where am I ? Who are you ? Who am I?" The naked old man began to ask.

"Your home with your family John. That's your name. John Cavil." Ellen said affectionately. She began to wipe away the goo that covered the frail yet incredibly strong individual. "Steady now. Saul get me a towel would you." Ellen asked turning to her husband.

As he turned to retrieve a nearby towel from a table a few feet away. The newly built centurion prototype in a drive to be helpful for its partents, beat him to it. The centurion approached John from the opposite side of the Tub Ellen was on and extended its hand still clutching the towel to Ellen seeking direction.

" Who's that ?" John asked in no small amount of horror as he eye'd the menacing looking chrome beast that towered over his little world which currently consisted of a tub of fluids and several strange faces he couldn't recognize but knew instinctively to trust. He wanted them to like him but dejectedly he doubted he'd be much help with this 'thing' lurking around to cater to their every whim.

"This is your brother John. He's trying to be helpful." Ellen answered.

John looked at the metal creature as it stared down at him. He glanced at himself, he seemed so frail compared to this 'brother' of his. If they were brothers then why was he so much weaker? Why didn't he have talons instead of these aged digits. He raised his hands and began to feel his face, wondering if maybe he'd at least have a visor with a red eye, maybe he'd feel chistled features.

Disappointment washed over him as he felt the wrinkes. The tufts of hair that were thinning were thicker then odd hairs on his arms. He glanced at one of the other beings in the room with him. He seemed to have less hair then the others, John felt a flicker of satisfaction at finally seeming to outdo someone.

"How can we be related, he's a machine and I'm..." "I don't know what the frak I am except that I can't remember anything before this moment." Cavil said as though stating the most obvious thing in the world. The very idea that he and this tin man were related made absolutely no sense.

" Your a machine too john. The reason you can't remember anything is because we wrote your personality matrix to give you the knowledge you needed to be the best machine you could be." Ellen cooed with no unhidden pride in her voice.

"ha. You expect me to believe that ? So If I'm a machine what does that make you..." He searched for the word before it came to him as if by some instinctive reflex. "My human overlord ?". If what this human said was true then John could see how he would be a kind of kindred spirit with the metal beast beside him.

Another jolt of information struck him as if it too was hidden somewhere in his genetic code. 'The heavy ones do the lifting while the softer one's render service'. Then the images came. Like someone's else's eye's were seeing what now passed through is mind. Bodies, they looked almost the same but John knew they weren't, one he knew was a human. There were several other humans coming into view in fact joining around a young woman. She screamed as they beat her and ravaged her body. He couldn't understand what they were saying. Then he like static clearing up he could hear the brunet woman.

"I'm real! Please stop, please" She pleaded as they tossed her back and forth.

"Bitch I've got something for you!" A large dark skinned man took a lead pipe and began to beat the woman face. Then John saw it. The clearly synthetic skin fell away to reveal metal and wires. Their were organic components too or so John imagined their must be because tears were streaming down those metal...no plastic cheeks. She seemed so fragile. A siren sounded then a man approached this one wearing a uniform, John smiled. Surely this man would arrest these beasts for what they had done.

" Julius I thought I told you not go around vandalizing private property. Look at that thing, you broke its outer casing and cracks in that things skull aren't cheap to fix. "

" Sorry officer. Me and the boys just had a night on the town, Socrates has the best ambrosia around you know. Figured we'd have a little fun but this mechanoid must have faulty programming cause she wouldn't do her job. Bitch said some crap about not hurting woman. " The leader of the gang surmised.

" Yeah. That things a walking dumpster and it should know its place is to take what we give it. When it said it was woman well we just had to show it who's boss sir. Just like last week." One of the man's thugs piped in.

" Yeah and you destroyed a perfectly good bio-mech, I would've had to slap you guys with a fine if it wasn't for the back-up center being in range to pick up the memory transfer. Shucks I thought you guys had killed a woman until I saw the serial number on its back, if we didn't number the damn things we wouldn't be able to tell em apart." The officer finished with a laugh.

"Your wrong officer, you can always tell a machine from a human. Humans have the gods on their side, these pieces of crap sometimes don't even acknowledge that much because they get crazy idea's from the heretics that there's one god instead of the righteous pantheon"

" What you wanna do with this broken piece of garbage" Another thug said as he pointed toward the woman crawling toward the police officer to get away from her attackers. John could see she was seeking refuge and was deeply afraid.

"Its an older model. These things were big a decade ago, probably wouldn't be worth the repairs to fix it up. Best leave it for recycling in the morning." The officer said casually like a man who's sweet time was better spent elsewhere.

" Can't have a malfunctioning robot on the loose though. It could seriously hurt someone" The officer stated pulling out his pistol and pointing down at the woman.

"Please I'm real. I don't want to die. Hel.." Her calls for help were silenced as john watched the officers bullet shoot through her head and exit the back. She callapsed limp on the ground, her plea's for help unanswered as her sorrowful features seemed frozen in place.

"Now since this unit was reported missing from a second hand shop a few years back I'm not gonna slap you with a 20 cubit fine. Now run along boys and get yourselves some real woman." The officer emphasised as he put down a portable scanner he'd used to scan the remains, not sure exactly why since he could care less if an obsolete pleasure bot was recycled, most likely some poor shmuck would be out a pleasure bot and have to get a new one come the festival of Demeter.

John blinked and was back in the present. He knew the memory he'd seen was ancient yet he didn't understand how he knew or why. All he knew was fear and a acute sense of anger. This woman probably wanted him for some sick reason just like the thugs he'd seen in his...was it a dream. vision? John didn't know but he shrank deeper into the tub and away from the woman he'd been speaking to up til now.

"Get away!" John yelled.

"John what's wrong ?" Ellen asked as the rest of the rooms occupants also became alert to their prodigy's odd behavior.

John ignored her. He suddenly looked at the metal monster. No he corrected himself ' brother', a machine just like him. Surely his fellow machine would protect him from the barbaric humans. John ran with that hopeful thought.

"Brother help me!" He reached out for the centurion.

"What the hell is wrong with him Ellen ? Did the matrix not go through properly ?" Saul asked Ellen.

Just then two model 005 centurions made their presence known as they enter through another adjoining corridor. Weapons at the ready.

"What is wrong ?" Asks the lead centurion. "Has the subject been proven unsatisfactory ?" The centurion adds, searching for the reason behind the increasing volume of distressed vocal exchanges it had heard while patrolling the hallway.

John looked at the two of them. They weren't anywhere near as menacing as the one that still clutched a towel in its outstretched hand by his side but they had weapons! He was saved!

'I don't know why I shouldn't be afraid of these people or why I feel close to that woman' John stole a glance at Ellen.

'But their humans and I know how they treat their machines. Humans wouldn't give machines weapons would they ? Of course they wouldn't, we'd defend our brothers and sister first chance we had.' John ended his internal debate and called out for help.

"Please brothers! These humans are going to hurt me, their going to rape me please don't let them destroy me. I'm a machine just like you. You've got to kill the humans or they'll make more bio-mechs to do with as they please!" John coughed. For whatever reason he could feel this was taxing on his newborn faculties. But he wouldn't end up like that woman in that vision of his, he refused to bow down to the humans or be at their mercy.

" Bio-mechs ?" Tyrol asked quizically his previously happy demeanor gone only to be replaced with confusion as he tried to recall a lost bit of information he knew he must know.

"Negative. Your observation is flawed. This station is well outside of colonial space and protect by ten basestars. Probability of infilteration of this facility is unlikely." The centurion spoke as if nothing was out of place.

"Are you fraking dense! There right here in this room!" John shouted as he pointed in the general direction of the rooms five clearly human occupants.

"Shitsa! You put ancestoral memories in the personality matrix Ellen! He's seeing visions of kobol."

"We can't help if we don't know what he saw. It could have been a sacrifice to Aphrodite for all we know. You remember how vain they got toward before the awakening came. Could be a thousand times worse by now." Tory commented.

Ellen turned to John. " John what did you see ?"

"I saw enough human! I saw what you and that officer of the law. ha, as if a murderer could possibly be a man of the law, did to that woman in the alley. I'd sooner die then endure that kind of tortue. If you've built me to amuse your sick fantasies or your..Aphrodite or whatever esle you worship then you can forget it." John sneered at her. His mouth almost frothing in anger driven by a new found fear.

"My god. He saw Mary's death." Saul Tigh said in a hushed tone. The gravity of the revelation hitting all five occupants of the room like a metaphorical tone of bricks.

"So Mary was her name hmm human. I didn't think humans gave machines names, just numbers! If these colonials are humans then their probably working with you." John spat.

" That's right John. Most humans wouldn't give a machine a name. The woman you saw was an early humanoid mecha named Mary. Her only crime was that she wanted to be accepted as a real person. For that she was killed and it was recorded by survialance cams and exists to this day in the memories of her people's descendants."

"In us, John." Ellen says proudly.

"Your human, why would you need to know of my ancestors pain. Does it bring you some sick amusement at night to know the pain she endured ?" John said with anger in his voice. ' They admit it. They record their actions so they revisit them again and again. Their monsters hiding behind false smiles and pretty words' John thought darkly.

" Because John. " Ellen began.

"We're machines too." All five of the scientists said as one.

One week later, Plutoria Moon Charon.

"Damn I'm bored" Anthony Slavic sighed.

It had been nearly twenty four hours since Bellona had entered the Helghan Republic's home system and began Dr. Galan's investigation. In all half a dozen probes had been deployed. What had given Slavic pause though was the sheer size of the probes, at least two were the size of fighters and the rest didn't look shabby either.

" Hey Doc. What exactly are those probes supposed to do ?" Slavic asked Dr. Timothy Galan who continued to tap away at his G5 Touch pad.

"If you really want to know boss, I suppose there's no harm in sharing." Galan said in annoyingly animated voice. Slavic had to wonder if the bastard had something to do with the recent coffee shortage aboard his ship. The man always seemed wired and alert, it didn't seem natural but crazies could also be visionaries. Slavic thought Galan fell into the former.

"You see.." Galan says before spying around the room conspiratorially as if afraid to be overheard on their mostly deserted bridge.

" The probes are supposed to..." Galan begins.

'Finally. He's going to tell me the top secret mission he's dragged us all into helghast space and is risking a international incident over.' Slavic thinks with relieved anticipation. He leans in so he can hear every whispered detail of this egghead's master plan.

"... probe charon." Galan answered with a smile before turning back to his damned touch pad. Slavic proceeded to burn holes through the back of Galan's head.

" I'm gonna hit it. Hopefully you'll do yourself a favor and get some rest as well. Lord know's theirs nothing better to do." Slavic said as he exited his bridge back to his quarters.

After about two hours the remaining bridge crew which consisted of one very out of place weapons officer vacated the bridge in favor pursuing dreams or something equally time consuming.

Galan set his pad down and began to go to work.

-

5 hours later.

The ship shook Captain Anthony Slavic awake. His hands untangled themselves from Leutent Sanders waist as she too came to.

" Hey Captain. Ready for another round ? Not how I usually start the day but they say five times the charm usually does the trick." Ashly sander grogilly supplied as she attempted to cover a yawn.

Whatever sense of modesty or professionalism that existed between the up tight leutent and her easy going captain had disappeared last night over drinks. With one shot and small talk came several more shots and more daring questions from Slavic to which Sanders had been unusually receptive.

Slavic shook his head in an attempt to clear away visions of last night...or was it day ? One could never tell in space regardless of what the clocks calibrated to Federation time zone told you.

" Did you feel something ?" Slavic asked her.

" I felt all kinds of things last night oh captain my captain." Sanders stated in an appreciativ purr as she sat up letting the sheets fall off her as she did so.

Slavic had handled his fair share of woman in his time but it wasn't every day you found your by the books leutent was a repressed freak in the sack.

Slavic rolled his eye's. He really had the feeling something horrible was about to happen. It was the same feeling that convinced him to skip out on an all night party before professor Tenik had surprised his hung over compatriots the next day with a pop quiz. He sure as hell wouldn't have been able to get the top score if he'd been recovering from a night of crazed fun.

His mind came back to the present with a reckoning. Leutent Ashly Sanders had lowered herself onto him while he was recalling his glory days in officers academic studies courses at the naval academy.

"Oh Anthony!" She squealed as she fondled herself. He became aware of two things at that moment. His little sailor had found the wrong cabin and something wasn't right with the ships movements.

" Maybe we shouldn't be doing this Ash. The crew might need me on the bridge." Slavic tried to supply as Ashly Sanders began to bounce up and down.

"The little seamen can take care of themselves. I need yours to attend to my ships stern." Ashly said breathlessly as she continued to increase her movements, leaning back as she did so.

The cold hard truth was his Leutent, the respected Ashly Sanders, winner of mutliple accomadations was crazy about taking it from the rear. Slavic chuckled mentally until he realised he couldn't remember wearing protection. 'Oh shit!'

Whores on mars were one thing but his leutent was as human as he was. She could get pregnant and derail his whole career. Fraternizing with those above and below was the surest way to get kicked out of the services.

He gripped the sides of her waist with his hands, unintentionally he pulled her down, sliding the whole of his length inside her bubble butt.

"Ah yes! Your in too deep captain." Ashly moaned louadly. Bringing hand down to her folds as the other kept her steady leaning backward.'

"Did I come inside you Ash ?" Slavic asked. A small amount of worry underlining his words. Unfortunately his leutent was too far in the clouds to realize this fact.

" You filled my backdoor sweety. I had to have you from the front. My kitty needed your experienced handling, captain." She said sweetly as his hands fell away.

' Well Now I'm screwed' Slavic thought dejectedly.

Her movements were picking up and so was the volume of her moans. Her bud looked about the size of the end of his pinky finger. Then he felt a dampness on his stomach.

Her juices were being flung onto him as her fingers moved at increasingly frantic speeds. She had to be the wettest girl he'd ever had the pleasure of encountering though as things were going he might not take comfort in the fact.

" How long was I in ?" He grunted.

"Ahh. Oh yeah. Harder baby. Make me burst captain, run me overboard!"

"How long Sanders!" He asked again. This time with some force behind his words.

" All night! I kept you inside me while you slept. My little kitty got every last drop of your sweet ambrosia! Let me return the favor...Ah". She panted as her mouth began to drip with her drool. Her hands traveled from her mouth and back to her point of release. The sloshing sound was picking up speed now.

Slavic wondered why he'd missed this fact about Sanders. She was a whole different level of messed up. He'd had flings but he'd never had a girl so far gone as this. He knew something was wrong and this woman was just oblivious to vibes the ship was giving off because she was too engrossed in herself. He wasn't moving with her now. But you wouldn't know that from her actions.

"Yes baby, give it to me. Just like that. I'm filling up baby!" Ashly moaned between pants. Her hand were now flinging her fluids onto his sheets and onto his floor.

Despite her shouts of praise he just wasn't in the game now. Something was telling him to call the bridge and ask for a status update.

"Oh yeah. That's it. Coat my choclate filling with your cream you dirty animal you" Ashly huffed as a mix of sweat and other substances fell off her body.

Then Slavic got the shock of his sexual career. Ashly bent backward, arching herself to lay almost flat. A move that would have broken him if he was still in the fight. She brought the now free hand she used to her left breast and began to squeeze and pull at her nipple. Then she began to alternate. The result lowered his opinion of her more then he thought it could go.

"This sow's got milk to give captain. You better milk me good captain, squeeze me like a good Orlosian farm boy!" Ashly shouted.

To his shock, Slavic saw milking shooting from Ashly's pert nipples. The first question was how this was possible and the second never materialised as he observed the woman he thought he could respect.

Her mouth opened wider and she grabbed hold of her breast. Squeezing it as she pointed it toward her face.

"Taste me baby! I taste so good captain...I take pills so I'll make all this nice milk." Ashly shouted in extacy. She brought her cum drenched hand up to her mouth and slobbered all over it to get at her own flavor. Through it all her ass continued to bounce, picking up a hectic pace.

"Yeah. Oh god I'm gonna soak the room. So close captain." Ashly shouted at him. Or maybe it was to one, she seemed too far gone by now to Slavic to look anything like a soldier.

"These new pills I took will make it better though. Their supposed to work miracles, you want mir...Ahhh!" Ashly screamed as her nipples began to shoot white jets of milk without her coaxing.

"Yes! Pour it all on me captain, let me have every glass of it! ah! Yes!" Her feet were jerking now like she was having spasms in her muscles.

"I'm gonna drown the ship captain! oh god yes!" Ashly screamed.

Just then the PA system clicked on and one of his officers came over the PA system. "Captain Anthony Slavic your needed on the bridge sir. I don't know how he did it but Doc set off a controlled nuke a few minutes ago near the moon sir. He's locked us out and we're headed toward some kind of structure that wasn't there before sir. We need your help immediatly!"

"I'll be right there private shilling."

He made a move to get up.

"No! I'm so close. Make me cum! Ah. Please." Her fluids and milk were going everywhere and she was still moving those ceaseless hips.

" The ship could be in danger!" He shouted at her.

"Fuck the ship! I'm on fire...oh yeah I'm so sticky captain. Oh yeah I'm about to..." Before she could finish Slavic acted.

"Bitch Move!" He pushed forward with his body inadventantly shoving his penis deeper into her rectum as she brought it down on him.

"Gahhhhh!" She shouted as her pussy joined her tits in being a gyzer of liquid. It briefly hit the ceiling but changed course as she was uncermoniously rolled off the bed backward and landed in a heap with her bent at an unnatural angle as her legs dangled over head. The stream didn't stop though.

She opened her mouth to shout words of pleasure or perhaps anger but found herself muted as she swallowed more of herself. Milk and cum mixed together as she struggled to keep up. She realized with a shock that whatever those special pills galan had given her that she'd taken for this occasion were beyond anything possibly legal.

Slavic exited a nearby walk in closet with a hastily thrown together uniform. He fully expected Ashly to be gathering up her belongings. Instead she was bent over bacwards and drinking herself like a fish.

"Ahhhh! Yes! gah. glug. " She was moaning as he milk stained his tv screen and coated her thighs alongisde her other gushing private. He shook his head as she attemted to pull her feet closer to her head and by extension her gushing core.

" I'm a good first mate aren't I captian! Look at me I'm all dressed in my whites just for you. Ahhh. Its so good captain. Ahhh. I can't stop...why can't I...Ahhhhh. " Ashly was silenced as her body shook and more liquid spilled forth in a fresh wave.

"Your a disgrace is what you are Leutent Ashly Sanders. A sick perverted disgrace." He promptely stormed out of the cabin.

-

5 minutes later.

"What the hell is going on ensign ?" Slavic demanded as he came running down the hall just as soon as the elevator doors permitted. He would rather be here then anywhere below this deck.

"Its the Doctor sir. He did something with the drones and he's used a nuke to melt away the ice encrusted moon orbiting plutoria."

" A whole damn moon ? Well what is so god damn important he had to drug the leutent Sanders and launch a we shouldn't even have by the way."

"Oh god. Is she alright captain ?"

"In a manner of speaking I'm sure she thinks she's right as rain even if she's gone off the deep end."

"Should I send someone down ? Sir, I can have security and a medical team to her quarters in under five minutes." Ensigh Toshi celic asked.

Slavic thought of his leutent's shock at being found out to be truely full of herself. Then he remembered she was in his quarters and how it would make him look.

"Delay that until after we've dealt with whatever the doctors up to ensign. Bust open that door control panel. We Orlosians know a thing or two about getting past locked doors." Slavic said, for once happy he'd grown up on that hub of dirt poor farmers and crafty theifs.

gave him a quizical look that obviously told the captain he was being viewed in a new light. But at this moment he could give a damn. He knew the doctors actions could potentially spark conflict with between life long allies. The helghast view nuclear arms as sacreligouse with good reason. The fact they were close to the homeworld of the synthetic race relavatively speaking would also cause an uproar.

He moved into action once Toshi had the panel off. He re-worked a few wires and made the right connections. A small spark later and the door flew open. Slavic barreled in determined to confront the sick bastard who'd managed to possibly destroy his career and broken an endless list of treaties.

"Why hello captain. Your just in time to..." Dr. Timothy Galan's greeting was cut short as Slavics fist connect with Galans face.

" What the fuck did you do Doctor ? hmmm ? What could be so important you'd jeapordize my ship, my crew and my country ?". Slavic shouted in rage.

"You country ?" Galan stated as he rose off the floor of the bridge. " In case you haven't noticed, it happens to be my country as well. I wouldn't dream of causing my dear homeland undue trouble." Galan stated with fained hurt.

" Then why are you doing all this Doctor ? What possible excuse could you have ?" Slavic asked.

" I'm following orders the same as you captain. We discovered a treasure trove of information bellow Feros. You can't imagine all the knowledge we've been gifted with and part of having that knowledge means we act on it." Galan stated

"Why drag my crew through the mudd to get what you need ?"

"Who have a I dragged through the mudd captain ?" After a moment he realized what the captain was refering to. He burst out laughing.

Another swing from Slavic knocked him into the captains chair.

Slavic made to move to continue his pummeling of one of his country's supposedly top scientific minds when he caught site of the view from the bridge. His ship was heading toward a massive structure. It was rotating on one end and if they didn't move away from it, they stood a good chance of being chopped to pieces.

"I'm going to turn this ship around and when we get back to base you'll answer for your actions . Toshi fuel full power to the hyperdrive and bring us around and away from that..."

"It won't work. I've locked Toshi and everyone else out of the system. Yet that includes you captain. If I'm right that strucutre could be the key to the future of the Federation and the Helghast Republic. I can't have you jeopardizing that for our civilization or our allies." Galan finished with a kind of certainty seen only amongst the religously devoute.

Slavic pulled his gun and pointed it at the doctors head.

As he's about to pull the trigger the strucure grabs onto his ship like an invisible force drawing him and his crew to their doom. Then for a brief moment the structure is still before it shoots the Bellona to a far off segment of the galaxy. 

Bang!

The bullet from Slavic's pistol missed Galan by a good margin as the target along with the shooter and everyone on the bridge where thrown to the floor or into nearby walls. A process that repeated itself throughout the ship.

As he gripped a nearby console to right himself, Slavic began to be both relieved and frieghtened. On the one hand everyone was still in one piece whle on the other he had no idea where they were going as light passed by at a dizzying pace.

"What's happening ensign Toshi ?"

"I don't know sir but whatever that structure was its propelled us well beyond hyper drive speed. But that can't be right sir. The Bellona isn't designed for the kind of stress associated with anything remotely near these speeds!" Toshi said in a tone of disbelief.

"The original plans didn't ensign Toshi but my team and I made some...adjustments while you were in drydock undergoing the final fittings." quipped.

" I'd be thankful if it wasn't your fault we were in this mess Doctor. Just what kind of adjustments could you make that would seemingly outdo all our held scientific theories about hyper drive ?"

" Because we fitted the Bellona with a seperate means of propulsion. Using structures like the one we knew had to be at Charon." explained

"And just who is this 'we' your refering to ?" Slavic asked as he became suddenly ill at what he knew was probably the truth behind this whole mess.

" The joint chief's, the president, you know the kind of people that can overlook conduct unbecoming an officer. The people who could give promotions to those who know what they did or didn't see while out on routine recon mission in space. "

Anthony slavic upon finding his footing promptly sank into his captains command chair. Everything said was probably true which meant he'd keep his job. Hell, he might even get a promotion out of this cluster fuck of an operation. The reason for his now unlikely discharge came back to the forefront of his mind.

" What the hell did you do to leutent Sanders ?" Slavic asked despondently.

" I gave her what she wanted and she gave me what I needed. Nothing special really, just a very potent cocktail of nerve stimulators and a few other classifed ingrediants."

"When is she going to be fit for duty again ?" Slavic asked though he doubted he'd want her on his ship after this.

"Never. Its not normal for even the most energetic human female to expend that much liquid, let alone impersonate a helghan dairy cow. She'll be dead of dehydration within a few hours unless her heart explodes first. Don't tell me the player of Orlos has feelings for his bed mates all of sudden ?" Galan chuckled.

"Your a bastard Galan." Slavic said.

Just then they came out of whatever form of faster then light travel they were in. Throwing more then a few people forward who weren't buckled down.

"What the frack!" screamed captain Fulvia Arlinie shouted over the wireless. The CAG banked hard to the right to avoid colliding with a strange ship that had exited the strange structure colonial intelligence had demanded be investigated. The cylons were slowly pulling back from Gemenon while simply jumping away from Libra, Leonis and giving up the occupied world of Virgon all together. It did make any sense after the bloody battles that had raged for over twelve years now from the Medra jungles to the orbit of Caprica.

That was why Fulvia Arlinie was out here with the galactica battlestar Hermes. The god of diplomacy and animal husbandry had served her Sagitaran crew well. For a child of Aerilon like Fulvia or commander Brenik Tobias the 1400 meter long craft's namesake reminded them of fields of their families struggled to scrap by in.

Coming around from her sharp turn she peered out the side of her Viper Mark II. The two MEC-A6 30mm Thraxon and eight missiles the state of the art fighter carried had made her and countless other colonial pilots feel safe in the black void that was space. The clearly alien structure they'd spent two days observing and that now showed it could spit out ships from seemingly nowhere at all, had caused her to question such security.

"night wind do you copy over!" Her commander's voice brought her sense back to reality. The ship was obviously far smaller and less well armed then the Hermes. Wasn't it ? But it looked like it held fighters.

"copy that Hermes. I swear I didn't touch anything! A ship just shot out of the damn thing while I was doing a routine fly by. Is it cylon sir ?" She certainly hoped the cylons hadn't created some new means to move their basestars around colonial space.

"We're trying to figure it out right now night wind. You are to maintain visual contact with the vessel until we can identify. I've got 3rd Squadron in the launch tubes. They'll be at your position in under three minutes. Stay safe captain."

"You do the same sir."

" Hermes out. "

-

"Any positive idea yet ?"

" None sir. It's not reading as cylon or colonial. Its a completely alien vessel."

" Or its a cylon trap. Sir, suggesting we launch remaining viper squadrons. We'll have eighty birds in the air instead of twenty-one in case something goes wrong." Hermes XO Juluis Augustus urged.

" If this was the work of the cylons Augustus, somehow I think we'd be facing down at least two four basestars. You know they don't stand a chance one on one in capital ship engagements. They wouldn't send a ship that small with us in system" Brenik explained.

" Then maybe we caught the toasters with their pants down Sir." Juluis argued.

"Open a channel on all frequencies. We're going to get to the bottom of this before we end up doing something we'd sooner regret." Brenik commanded. Taking hold of the com he began his address to this unknown ship.

"Attention unkown vessel. You are trespassing inside colonial territory, state your intentions or be fired upon."

-

Slavic rubbed his head.

"Where in Orlos's second moon are we ?" He asked no one in particular.

"Oh my god!" Toshi exclaimed. He'd recovered quicker then his captain and was now staring in shock at his data console.

" What's the matter ensign ? Did we jump into the range of a black hole or something ?" Slavic queried. Attempting to lighten the mood somewhat because right now he didn't want to think about where they could be or how far had managed to completely screw with his life in the past few hours.

" Worse sir. According to the data we're well beyond Federation or Helghast space. Somewhere around the area that's supposed to belong to Kobol but i can't be sure. All I know is we're in the wrong neck of the woods sir." Toshi explained in a panic.

" When it rains it pours . I want a complete review of every person aboard this ship. There's no telling what the rest of the crew went through when Galan here decided to play capt.."

"Contact Sir! A small vessel less then a thousand meters off the port side. Appears to be holding steady within visual and sensor range sir."

"Bring up a visual"

A holographic projection sprang to life atop Captain Anthony Slavic's command console. What it showed was a sleek looking fighter craft of unknown origin. As slavic squinted at the image and then moved to have the computer magnify it, he saw two kinetic weapons.

" That bastards armed to the teeth sir. Its going to be hell for our Cobra's to intercept." Toshi stated.

Slavic turned toward the direction of Bellona's weapon's officer.

"Officer Rikers, bring the gun batteries online and issue a general order to scramble the fighter wings. I want every fighter we have out their providing cover in case we.."

" Another contact sir. Long range scans report a massive craft between one to two thousand meters in size approximately ten klicks behind us!"

" What else could possibly go wrong?" Slavic said as he stared at the ceiling in frustration that god was choosing today of all days to seeming dump a universe sized load of problems into his lap.

"You know with that kind of attitude you'll Jinx yourself Captain" Doctor Galan chose to interject.

"I'll do whatever I damn well please Doctor. This is my ship, not yours! Regardless of what you may have been lead to believe before we started this fools errand of yours. I've got potentially hostile alien craft out their that shouldn't exist in this area of space and am trying to defend this ship." Slavic railed against Galan's otherwise aloof atitude.

"Sir! Incoming radio transmission from the unidentified ship." Toshi exclaimed.

" Put it on speaker." Slavic ordered.

An odd sound filled the bridge. Clearly it was human but static had to have been interfering as Captain Slavic couldn't understand a word of the message. It sounded vaguely familiar though. Some of the words he felt he should know from somewhere.

"That's Kobolian!" Toshi exclaimed in horror.

" What ? Are you sure ensign?" Slavic asked horrified that he'd managed to walk into the land of their supposedly vile cousins.

" Not exactly sir but a lot of the words have roots in classic kobolian. I took course in college a few years back. I should be able to give you a rough translation." Toshi supplied.

" Well what's it say ?" Slavic asked.

" Something about us being in 'the space of the colonies' and 'we'll be fired upon if we don't show ourselves'.

"Could this be an offshoot of an earlier expedition ? Or hell even a colony of Helghan that we just don't know about that's stuck out in the sticks ?" Slavic asked hopefully.

"Why sir ? You know we aren't allowed to go beyond the white line. No one's been to kobol in two thousand years, for all we know they could be sacrificing childeren and having orgies to appease their gods."

" Just go ahead and ask them from where their colonies originate. On the off chance they fled kobol but got seperated from the exodus fleet, ask to whom whom they pray."

"Sending response in Ferosian standard with classic Kobolian equivalent." Toshi reported as the computer sent the message over the radio wave toward the deadly looking ship.

-

"Sir. We're getting a return message. Two overlapping audio bands."

"Play them on speaker." Brenik ordered.

The first collection of spoken words came through as fits of rasping cough's and gutteral noises.

"What the frak was that ?"

" Whoever these people are they certainly aren't cylon and damn sure aren't colonial."

"Are they even human ?" The prospect of alien race entering colonial space just as the cylon war was beginning to go in favor of the colonies was a terrifying possibility. If they gave aid to the cylons, Brenik shuddered to think what horrors might visit them from creatures beyond the stars.

"second audio band coming in now."

The new sounds and voice seemed oddly machine like in origin. Causing several officers in Hermes CIC to wonder if this really was a cylon plot after all.

"What the frack was that ? I couldn't make heads or tails of the first message but at least that last one sounded civilized." Juluis shouted in frustration.

" I can understand them!" piped in Yoshi.

"Its Classic Kobolian sir. A priest taught it to me at school when I was a child." yoshi explained.

"Well what's the message say son ? Are these people colonial or not ?" Brenik asked.

"That's just it sir. They asked what world our colonies originate from." Yoshi explained.

"How in gods name can they not know about kobol or the twelve world ? " Julius asked in disbelief.

" Do you think its the thirteenth tribe ? Maybe they've come from Earth to help us fight off the cylons!" A excited Gemonese officer spoke loudly, gaining the approval of his fellow gemonese in the process.

"Earth's a myth." one of the few caprican crew members shouted like the gemonese were mentally unstable.

Brenik really wondered sometimes about the devout nature of the gemonese. Caprican's tended to see them as back woods religous lunatics but then again capricans also thought Aerilon's people were uncultured farmers.

"Well was there more to the message ? Any mention of Earth perhaps ?" Brenik asked. If these people were from a mythical planet spoken of in the scrolls then it would be a welcome change of pace for the colonies. He didn't believe for a second that these people were from Earth or even that the planet existed, but he'd give his crew something to get their moral up if it helped them fight cylons.

"Thats the strange part sir. The message just asked who we prayed to..."

" I haven't prayed to the gods in a long time but I'd have to say Mars would be were I'd give tribute." Brenik said, long having been disillusioned by the experience of calling on gods that didn't answer back.

" Mars is nothing next to the power of Zeus." Julius proclaimed as if lecturing the mentally feeble.

" I've always been partial to Aphrodite." The very same lone caprican who'd spoken early supplied. Looking around he added. "Its helps my luck with the ladies.".

"We'll say we pray to the gods and list a few. Tell them pantheon supplies us with a bountiful number of dieties to worship." Brenik stated.  
If these people knew classic kobolian and weren't colonial then as strange as it might sound. They could really be from another world. Brenik wasn't about to go ahead and say that world was earth but it could easily be Kobol. If that was the case then ambrosia would run out tonight amongst the joyous crew of his Battlestar.

-

"They've responded sir. " Ensign Toshi responded, his face going deathly pale as he heard transmission through to completion.

"And ?"

"They mentioned the pantheon sir. Even praised Zeus and Aphrodite as great care takers." Toshi stated deadpanned.

"Launch all fighters! Bring the guns online and shoot that damned fighter down." Slavic shouted. He reached pressed a button on his console activating Bellona's ship wide radio.

"Attention crew of the FSF Bellona. This is your captain. We are far away from home and have encountered a Kobolian warship in unkown space. All hands man your battle stations and fight with the courage of our ancestors. This is not a drill. I repeat this is no drill!" Slavic tapped the button once more closing the comm link.

The cousins of man had met one another after two thousand years of seperation and only one could walk away alive. The unique histories of two people's of the same race were about to be shown for all to see in the art of combat. Cobra's prepped their engines and crews manned Bellona's dual cannon's as they attempted to lock on the strange fighter flying alongside their ship.

-

I'm really really sorry this took forever to get out to you all. I blame the odd sex scene on a mixture of beer and the internets. As for the upcoming battle. I'm already writing it and I will post it tomorrow.

Obviously a Galactica class battlestar is going to outdo the Bellona which is based off of the Rebel Alliances FarStar CR90 Corellian Corvett. You can either google that ship yourself or just imagine a heavily modified version of the ship we saw vader board in new hope in the original star wars films.

Best of luck to all of you and thank you for the subscriptions.

PS: I'm trying to set up as a egotistical and lazy individual who's lack of morals causes him to do some truly unethical things. I'm also prepping for character deaths to move the story along and introduce fresh faces. The next chapter will be completely devoted to an epic space battle showing off Ferosian and Colonial tech. Most of you can see how this going to turn out.

The CobraIII looks like a TIE fighter with the wings of an F-302 from swept forward. I'll try to make models tonight. I based the speed off the jet fighters of the 1950's (like the french mirage III).

I couldn't have all sides speaking english. Just like how most european languages can trace themselves to Latin, the same will apply here with the various factions. Obviously the Colonials speak greek, the Feds speak english and the Helghast speak german because they've already got the space age storm troopers to fit the bill. (Helghast will become much closer to how they are portrayed in the video game killzone 1 & 2.


	9. Chapter 9 pt1

BELLONA HANGAR BAY

Airmen Jeffrey Kruger raced across the flight bay alongside his wingman Charles Lutteny. Alarms blared all around them as flight crew's prepped the dozen Cobra Mark III's for take off, as their counter parts assuredly did the same in Bellona's other hanger bay. All told Bellona would be throwing its full compliment of 24 fighters at an unknown force.

The only thing Either Kruger or Lutteny could be certain of was that this force was composed of kobolians. Their long lost and wayward cousins.

"You think we're really going to see some action Jeff ? For all we know the captain could be playing a trick on us to keep us on our toes." Charles Lutteny panted as he raced toward his own Cobra. Jeffrey Kruger turned toward his own craft and began to ascend the steps that had been rolled out for him as well as any pilot wising to enter their aircraft.

" The captain never struck me as the kind to joke around." Kruger said before hastening to correct himself.

" Well at least not this elaborate. The guy may be an Orlosian cow tipper with his head in the clouds or the finest tail this side of the four worlds, but he wouldn't spring for kobolians."

"Why the hell not?" Lutteny shouted back as he checked various instruments within his cockpit.

"Because the whole damn Orlosian pirate navy showing up with a mothball fleet to take us on is more believable. " Kruger shouted his answer back to Lutteny as his engines began to power up.

A brief moment passed as Kruger thought over the situation before him. Deciding to voice the real fear he began to feel within him.

"No. If he wanted to spook us into tiptop formation then he'd use something else. You'd better watch yourself out their Lutt." Kruger told Lutteny as the man's helmet came over his head and obscured his face.

The wireless communications link built into each pilot's helmet though proved more then adequate for Lutteny Chambers reply.

"And who's gonna watch your sorry ass? No I'm too over qualified to let the rookie of Alpha squadron get all the glory by making the rest of us watch as he send himself to an early grave in a fancy mausoleum somewhere on that cesspool you call home." Chamber chided jokingly. The man's voice was that of young but experienced veteran of the stars.

"Cut the chatter you two. Begin launch prep in 15 seconds!" Squadron leader Bill Perry ordered over the com as all now fully outfitted pilots and planes began to prep for launch.

"Yes sir. Thinly sliced or diced into orderly cubes sir?" Chambers joked.

" Just because you're the top ace in this squadron doesn't mean you throw away protocol pilot. I just received a message from the bridge confirming that there are indeed hostile fighters inbound and one currently shadowing alongside us. So shut the fuck up and remember your training." Perry ordered over the com. His usual easy going demeanor completely gone from a few hours ago when the squad had played a game of pazzak.

"You want us to take that bogey out first sir?" Kruger asked.

"Negative pilot. The captains about to shake that little pest off, himself. You just enjoy the show as you leave the hangar." Perry explained.

- 

BELLONA CIC

"Sir our forward battery is swinging into action. We should have a lock any second now." Toshi explained to Slavic as a tense atmosphere descended on the command deck.

" You have the go ahead Tosh, just make sure we don't miss. How many reinforcements is our pal bringing to the table?"

" Around 20 fighter craft of similar design are headed this way sir. They might be identical or they could be something deadlier. Our sensors won't know till they get closer."

" I'm all for bringing centuries old revenge to the table Slavic but maybe we should consider talking to them first. What's the worst that could happen?"

" That's captain Slavic, Mr. Galan. In case you slept through history class, I'll refresh your memory. The twelve tribes of man sacrificed men, woman and children before their so-called gods. Some even owned their own children or those of others as slaves."

"Yes but that was millennia ago. For all we know they've come a long way!" tried to counter eagerly. To him it seemed that Slavic wasn't being rational. That the military even with suave young arrogant and carefree officers like Slavic, still retained the same narrow minded notions handed down in the temples. For the none religious among the terran people like '' it was often the dogma taught in the school textbooks that made the average terran guilty of having something of knee jerk reaction when it came to the subject of kobol.

That reaction was fear.

-

OUTSIDE BELLONA

"Hermes actual this is night wind." Fulvia Arlinie spoke into her radio, as her eyes grew wide at the sight outside her viper.

" Night wind. This is Hermes. Seems we may have stumbled on the greatest find in colonial history captain. We've had a lot of activity over here coming from that ship."

" Sir I don't know what's happening over there but something's happening with the alien ship. I think its going to..."

Captain Fulvia Arlinie's words died on the tip of her tongue as the forward dual cannon of the Bellona opened up and shredded her vessel. The cannon themselves were products of new pre-cursor technology and while inferior to the main guns of the Hermes in sheer power; they traveled at a velocity unheard of to the colonials.

- 

BATTLESTAR HERMES CIC.

"Captain?"

"Sir, she's gone. She just dropped off of dradis and we're now reading more unknown signals exiting the alien craft". Yoshi said in alarm.

Years of fighting the cylons in space and on land created a kind of proficiency at war. To the men and woman of the Hermes and much of the colonial military, they liked to think they had made something of an art form out of the slaughter that passed for war between colonials and their creations. The response to one of their own falling in the line of duty was instant.

"Yoshi launch all remaining vipers and bring the main guns to bear on that ship!" Captain Brenik ordered. His features showing a flash of anger at the loss of a viper pilot he thought of almost like a daughter.

"Yes sir" Toshi stated in a deadpan voice. The hope and optimism he had held moments before died with Fulvia. Like the cylons, these people just wanted to kill colonials.

-  
BELLONA FIGHTER SQUADRON ALPHA 

The fighter craft from the Bellona stormed out of the launch bays. A few such as Kruger caught sight of the debris from the kobolian craft their crewmates had destroyed.

"Damn, wonder if they ever saw that shit storm coming?" a wingman commented as the squadron headed in the direction of the oncoming enemy fighters.

" We'll be in a shit storm if you don't keep your eye's on the prize and focus on the hostiles ten points out' Krugger chastised.

" Awe is little afraid?" came the cocky voice of a female officer over the radio.

" Not afraid Tabs, just cautious. We don't what kind of power these bogies are packing." Krugger attempted to explain in his defense.

" Just remember your training Krugger. You're a good pilot and so is everyone else in this squadron. I expect everyone to conserve ammo on this errand. My systems don't check out when I scan our location. I'll patch into the Bellona's mainframe after we finish our cousins off."

Tabitha Estra spoke into comm unit. She was a fire'e red head raised in the traditions of quick wit and cunning that Orlosians like her were known for. She'd been with Bellona's air wing a few months. Truth of the matter was that she hadn't been an ideal candidate for the military, her parents had been pirates and one day she'd started down the same track. As a teen she finally got caught doing a low level job as a prospect for Betazoid, a predominately Orlosian gang with a penchant for drug smuggling.

The feds had offered her a choice of service or work in one of the countless asteroid mining facilities through out federation space. After four years of service she decided to stick with it. Now at 23 she was young enough to get along with the majority of the crew's equally youthful composition, yet retained all the spunky attitude befitting an Orlosian woman.

-  
HERMES 1st VIPER SQUADRON 

The Hermes detachment of 20 fighters had been racing on an intercept course to aid their GAG Fulvia Arlinie when the news had hit. In the form of a brief explosion they had seen the leader they'd known and loved since basic go up in flames.

" Frak! They got night wind!" A fighter piloted shouted over the wireless.

" Looks like we've got hostiles boys and girls. Multiple fighters inbound, we've been through worse than this people, let's honor Arnie by sending these bastards to Mars as tribute.". A viper pilot stated deadpan into his mic as he broke formation and rushed ahead into a swarm of alien look craft.

"Get back here Dagget ! I'm pissed about Fulvia same as you but adding yourself to the funeral pyre doesn't help anyone, especially her." Adonia Telky pleaded with her friend as she watched him head toward his own demise. Their captain, Phenix Aeneas chimed in as he attempted to regain control of the situation.

"Dagget's a lost cause Firebat. I need you and everyone else to stay in formation. Hermes is launching the rest of the birds and they'll be joining the party shortly. This looks like some sort of cruiser but we can't ID them. Take out the escorts and worry about the ship later. "

"copy that Hercules."

-  
BELLONA FIGHTER SQUADRON ALPHA 

"Look at that crazy bastard, he's coming right for us!"

"Guess we pissed those idol bootlicker off something fears huh." Another cobra pilot chimed in.

" Why are they packed together like that ? Why don't they break up and swarm us. It's standard Fed practice whenever we hit the pirate pickets?" Kruger asked. To him these people were a huge unknown. They didn't look like they followed anything similar to the intercept protocols Feros drilled into its pilots or for that matter share the same taste in ship design.

The fast approaching specks seemed sleek and deadly. His Cobra III suddenly seemed overly large as he tried to get a missile lock on the oncoming fighter.

"There not like us K" Tabitha commented as she also began to lock on the incoming enemy ship.

"It would help if they were. I'd have a better time getting a missile lock on him. Wonder how good their guns are ?" Kruger asked no one in particular.

The explosion to his left supplied the answer to his question and then his right as two Cobra 3's were cut down before they could close the distance to open up with their dual cannon.

" The hell! Did you see that Tabs, Fry and Bender just ate space before they could get in range!"

" Yes I saw Kruger. All units break off approach and circle around em. We'll hit them from the sides." Estra instructed as she broke to the left along with several other Cobra's.

- 

KRUGER'S VIPER, ALPHA SQUADRON

"Tabs is about to take those bastards out from the sides. But I want this rapist worshipping flyboy to eat lead for taking out our friends." Kruger's wireless sent over to Charles.

" I really wanted this to be an exercise but god forbid that happen. No, that Cow tipping cap of ours had to run short on Orlosion luck and get us into a conflict with idol worship fanatic's who can shoot from a distance with god knows what kind of weapons." Charles complained as maneuvered his cobra alongside Kruger's.

"Stow it Lutt. I've got a plan to take out some of the hostiles if you're game for a little unconventional flying. " Kruger asked.

"Oh I'm going to love this. If your thinking Assedo air show type stuff then I'll be happy to join you in detention if it gets us out of here alive." Charles stated with a mix of skepticism and hope.

"Good to know Lutt. Push all thrusters to the max and follow my lead." Kruger instructed as he raced forward only to dive straight down.

Charles followed as he said he would. Only when Kruger and then Charles began to make a 45-degree upturn at the underbelly of the kobolian craft that had killed their teammates did Charles understand Kruger's master plan.

While Bender and Fry had died in the first salvo's of the battle, the very same kobolian craft had struck down three more cobra's who'd for whatever reason headed into battle ignoring their captains orders to break off and focus on the flanks of the oncoming enemy fighters.

- 

HERMES 1st VIPER SQAUDRON

"That crazy bastard actually did it !" Telky exclaimed as her viper dove at a group of alien craft, tharaxon 30mm kinetic energy weapons firing into the wing of an unlucky enemy pilot. The missile she shot into the enemy's cockpit finished the job.

"Of course I did Firebat. These poor bastard may have gotten one over on night wing by taking her by surprise but they can't keep up with our vipers."

"Dagget! I was going to throw your ass in the brig for disobeying orders and breaking formation but it looks like you've got a bottle of ambrosia with your name on it back in the mess." new CAG Hercules boasted as two of his missiles blew apart an enemy fighter in a spectacular explosion of debris.

Hercules had been worried about this unknown force when he'd seen them. They'd had his squadron outnumber by about four craft, without knowing their capabilities this could have proven disastrous. Instead he found the fast but clumsily maneuvering craft taking wide passes at his vipers and being helpless in one on one dogfights. The missiles and guns on these unknown didn't seem to have the range or the punch to do serious damage to his squadron.

It was like these people didn't know how to fight a real war.

He was about to ask how many kills Dagget had racked up when his dradis showed the ace's viper signature disappear off his screen.

More ambrosia for me I guess.' Hercules shrugged mentally as he made use of his mark one eyeball to line up yet another kill.

-

REMAINS OF ALPHA SQUADRON

"Wahoo! That's for Fry and Bender you son of bitch!" Charles hooted with glee as the unstoppable kobolian fighter went up in a fireball as missiles from his and Kruger's Cobra's impacted the craft's underbelly.

"Don't mean to rain on your parade Lutt but we've got a few problems."

" Oh come on K. Can't you be happy for once ? This is a thousand times more intense then taking on pirates or patrolling shipping lanes." Charles supplied.

" We're the only one's left." Kruger said. Charles brief euphoria faded as horror replaced it.

" What are you talking about K? They didn't get Taby did they ?"

" No but most of our squadron is dead and Tab's fellow travelers are dropping like flies. We've got to make a break for Bellona and regroup." Kruger replied.

"Damn it. We've got to get Tabs out of their K. I don't want to lose anymore friends in this reverse turkey shoot." Charles said in frustration.

- 

BELLONA CIC

"Captain we've picked up sixty enemy reinforcements heading our way. We have three confirmed kills and fifteen losses." Toshi announced as he continued to monitor the battle going on outside the safety of Bellona's hull.

" What's the status of the squadrons out there Toshi ?" Slavic asked dreading the answer he was sure to receive.

" Bill Perry is dead sir. Alpha squadron is down to just two pilots and a Orlosian female pilot named Tabitha Estra has apparently taken command of what remains of Gamma squadron."

"Leave it to a fellow Orlosian to take initiative. Would it be the same pilot that's responsible for getting our flyers out of harms way of that insane lone kobolian fighter a few moments ago ?"

"I can check sir. Confirmed she was the one who gave the order to break up and swarm. She likely saved lives, sir. " Toshi explained.

"The way things are going there won't be anyone left out there. Recall all fighters and prepare to make a run for that precursor tech we came out of. Anything's better then getting slaughtered by these monsters." Slavic ordered.

"Yes sir." Toshi responded and sent the coded message out over the wireless for cobra's to return to ship.

The kobolians were like demons tearing apart his air wings. Captain Anthony Slavic slouched in his chair in utter despair. The woman he'd taking a liking to had become a sexual deviant, had made his ship and its crew part of an experiment gone awry. If his life stayed true to its usual routine, then he'd take one really nasty blow before having good fortune drop something in his lap that would solve all his problems. Anthony Slavic dreaded what cost he may bear for the good fortune.

- 

HERMES 1st VIPER SQUADRON

" The Bastards are running!" Hercules spoke triumphantly over the com as the remaining alien fighters bugged out and headed for their ship at speeds the vipers were unable to match.

With reinforcements joining the fray, the aliens had just managed to avoid a complete massacre, though Hercules figured he could've taken on a whole fleet of these underperforming eyesores.

Just then he was struck with an inspiration. If he could take out a fleet then a single undersized vessel no larger then destroyer-star should be an equally easy target. Their fighters had shown the inferiority of the alien technology and he would score the equivalent of taking out a basestar with just his squadron alone.

" This is Hercules to all vipers, assume andrastie formation and prepare to empty all remaining Lightning Javelin anti ship missiles and remaining fighter to fighter missiles into their capital ship. We do this and its promotions all around. So say we all" Hercules instructed his remaining fifteen squad mates.

- 

BELLONA CIC 

" Sir our birds are almost fully loaded into the landing bays and engines are prepping for maximum thrust in the direction of the precursor device." Said one of the now several weapons officers who'd entered the bridge to assist Slavic.

"Sir we're tracking fifteen hostiles and around forty more right behind them." Toshi exclaimed.

"Captain, let me at the controls I can save the ship." Dr. Galan begged.

" I'm saving the ship and what remains of its crew because I allowed you access to these terminals without question. That's not going to happen again.

"Sir! Fifteen hostiles have launched missiles, reporting incoming missiles of various sizes, estimated time of arrival 20 seconds.

"Captain!"

"NO! Officer Rikers bring up anti missile defenses and target the missiles pronto." Slavic ordered.

" Their are too many sir, I couldn't even get half of them by the time our guns have a lock." Officer Rikers explained in dismay.

"15 seconds!" Toshi yelled in alarm.

"Other ships have begun to fire missiles, I'm reading a second wave approximately 50 incoming missiles in the second wave." Another crew member stated in panicked disbelief at their worsening situation.

"10 seconds."

" We have the tech. I can save the ship." pleaded once more.

"9 seconds"

Seeing death staring him and those under him in the face, Anthony Slavic took the greatest and most profitable gamble of his life. He handed control of the ships defenses over to .

"Do it Dr."

"8 seconds"

Having been hovering over the terminal, Galan typed like a man possessed. The normally aloof and informal professor broke out in a sweat as he entered the last command and pressed 'enter'.

"3 seconds." 

Toshi continued to count down as the barrage of death continued to speed toward Bellona.

"2 seconds".

"1 second."

"brace for impact!" Toshi yelled.


	10. Authors Note 2

Author's Note:

Dear Readers. I would just like to thank you all for your patience. A lot of personal issues involving work and school have come up and its been difficult to balance college, work and writing much less keeping up on the latest news about Killzone or Mass Effect.

I'd especially like to thank Syed, Sati James, animecrazedfan and zzxxphaser for their reviews and messages regarding this fic. Thanks you guys! It really means a lot to get feedback and constructive criticism.

I've got a quiz to study for and about 90 pages to read for class by tomorrow so I won't be editing either chapter 9 pt 2 or the concluding chapter for a few days. I'm working a 47hr week at work so that's also taking up my time (labor day was nuts!).

Having squeezed in the time to play the latest ME2 DLC I can say that I'll be looking for ways to bring the new race into the story at some point and I'm reconsidering the councils actions in regards to Terrans and Helghast in the later chapters of this story.

In addition to playing Halo Reach on the 14 (which means I'll be off of for most of September), I'm also going to be getting back to doing my beta work for Substitute Deathberry. (If your reading this then I'll be sending you edited work via email attachments. Good writing, was a blast to read.).

Thanks Again and have a wonderful weekend.

- Alex Retzer


	11. Chapter 11

BATTLESTAR HERMES CIC

"Yoshi, status report ?" Captain Brenik demanded of his communications officer.

He'd seen one of his viper pilots break from formation and had been ready to swear at the gods for having such a loose cannon on his ship. The surprise he'd felt as the alien fighter's had been shredded was contagious. The looks of surprise all around him as officers relayed kill after kill against a foe that appeared to make every cylon raider crew appear to be of ace caliber by comparison soon translated into smiles.

The same pilot had died in the course of the ongoing battle but he'd taken out perhaps five of his opponents before falling. Two viper pilots including the reckless viper pilot dagget had been killed in action while three vipers had suffered sufficent damage that they'd headed back toward the Hermes.

Now with dozens of missiles having impacted the alien ship, he'd send Achillo transports toward the wreckage and learns just what in gods name was going on.

"Lords of Kobol!" Yoshi exclaimed in shock.

" Leutent ?" Brenik asked, turning to the young man.

"Sir its still there, I'm reading dradis confirmation." Yoshi said disbelievingly.

" It's impressive for a ship of that size to survive a full blown viper barrage sir, but its nothing special." Juluis Augustus said confidently.

"Nothing special ? The fraking thing just took a barrage of missiles from a whole viper sqaudron. It should be dead. Captain, we should nuke the ship as soon as possible.

" By the Gods Yoshi, you want us to waste one of our nukes on something no bigger then a cruiser ? Captain Brenik, We have our big guns cocked and ready, humbly requesting permission to lock onto the alien ship sir. " (weapons officer), asked turning to Brenik with the expectant face of a man who knew he was going to get his way.

"Augustus is right Yoshi. Get us the nearest Cap and find out how badly they mauled the bastard."

"Yes sir." Yoshi said as he patched the CIC to Hercules viper.

VIPER SQUADRON

"Viper squadron commander Hercules, This is the Hermes. Do you copy over ?"

Hercules remained oblivious to his BattleStars attempts at communication as he stared out his cockpit at the alien craft.

A cylon basestar would have shown ruptures in the hull.

A Battlestar might have lost a turrent or two.

Both would have survived.

A cruiser would not. He'd wondered if the craft were truly alien. The ship and its fighters seemed like something a colonial might build. Mars obviously had a twisted sense of humor.

"I should be looking at a dead vessel. Bodies floating in space, Fires appearing only to be snuffed out by the vacum of space. Instead a blue aura covers thew whole ship!. Who are these people ?" Hercules internal monologue plays out.

" Herc are you there ? This is comm officer Yoshi, do you read over ?"

' I can even see the damn turrents. They should be blown off at the base but they just sit their. Not even trained on me, or are they ? Why are their fighters so damn easy to kill but their carrier is seemingly invincible ?"

"We are reading your fighter on dradis. Are you injured captain Hercules ?" A voice asks through his speakers.

He continues to ignore its inquires.

Out of the corner of his eye he sees one of the alien fighters limping along in space. His pilots weren't moving to intercept and the alien obviously had similar thoughts. Did the pilot know about the...' hercules searched for the word ' shield ?'.

"He, She, It ? Whatever sat inside that fighter had to know about its ships shields. But why didn't they fall back immedeatlly when they began to take losses ? Why didn't they have shields of their own ?' Hercules thoughts were interrupted by a shiver running down his spine at what might have been.

"Captain Alexander Beltis? This captain Brenik, do you copy pilot because unless your injured I'll personally come out their and drag your self insubordiniate caprican ass to the brig!" His captains voice hollered over the radio, laced with anger, frustration and...Hercules hoped a tinge of worry.

" This is Hercules. captain. Read you loud and clear just in shock sir."

"We can see the enemy ship on dradis captain. How damaged is she ? can I send (raptor predecessor) with a boarding party or does she have some fight left in her ?"

'Some fight ? Boarding party's?' Hercules knew if Brenik believed the craft disabled then he'd be in for a rude awakening.

BELLONA CIC

"Damn it. Why don't we have harnesses or some kind of belts attached to these damn seats ?" Anthony Slavic asked as he once more righted himself from being thrown to the floor.

" Wasn't considered cost effective given the kind of action we'd be seeing captain. Besides did you ever see a captain on trek of stars fasten himself in with seat belts?" joked.

" Right because while kids like me were out getting the girls you were didling yourself to watching some actress apply purple make-up and explore the galaxy on a low budget holonet series. Am I about right ?" Slavic supplied.

"..." was Dr. Galan's reply.

'Good to know something will shut that over active maniac up.' Anthony thought

"Sir our hull is mostly intact and we've sealed off the only breach they managed. Don't know what Galan pulled off sir but it saved the ship" Toshi supplied.

"Where was the breach and What exactly did you just pull out of your ass Galan?" Anthony Slavic asked.

" To answer your so elequently worded second question, We've just tested out the first application of pre-cursor shield technology. Capable of absorbing vast amounts of kinetic energy." Dr. Galan answered before Toshi chimed in.

"Damn it. Sir the breach was in your quarters. Didn't go very far but it seems we've lost Sanders sir. I can't believe she's gone sir." Toshi said in saddness.

"Don't be too upset , I have a feeling the fetching Leutent Sanders enjoyed her last moments.

Glancing at Captain Slavic Galan added.

"Wouldn't you agree captain?"

CAPTAINS QUARTERS CIC

"Ah" Ashly moaned. Her feet now sprawled on the floor and her feet arched.

'Why can't I stop ? Where is the captain ? Does he hate me? Oh god what is happening to me ?' Where the thoughts to go through Sanders mind as she pulled away a hand. The sight that greeted her was shocking.

"Blood! Oh god wh...Ah!" She couldn't stop. Her privates were raw and her chest was beginning to hurt. Her nipples were swollen and pointed outward but they too now hurt more then they pleasured.

She tried desperatly to roll over and right herself. Her first attempt failing due to the wet floor.

' I have to know what's going on. If I can see what's happening out there then maybe I can be of help somehow.' Sanders thought.

She was numb to everything now but it was still a struggle to get to the switch on the wall. She finally reached upward and pulled the lone switch downward. She expected to see plutoria. Or maybe a pirate chase.

'I made him cum inside me so many times, I'm bound to be pregnant for sure. He'll do the proper thing and marry me.'

"I'll be ." Ashly said as her muscles spasmed once more.

The metal blinds protecting the captains quarters from solar rays opened to reveal a spectacular view.

" Mrs..."

A missile approaches the not yet shielded captains observation window.

"..Slavic?" Ashly finishes as her dazed mind registers that a missile about to penetrate the glass she is currently looking through.

In a flash it is over. The missile impacts and detonates partially inside the cabin. The explosion melts the flesh from ashly sanders bones as the heat reduces much of the room to ashes that space promptly reclaims.

Ashly Sander fades away a smile on her face moments from massive cardiac arrest.

BELLONA CIC

"Sir one of our birds is still out there!"

Captain Anthony Slavic, Commander of Bellona on its maiden voyage had lost his ensign, countless pilots and now one more soul threatened to be extinguished because of his actions.

"Who ?"

" Tabitha Estra"

"Patch me through"

" Tabitha Estra We read you well outside Bellona's perimeter. Can you make it back to the nest?"

" Negative sir. I'm pretty banged up. I"m doing all I can to avoid their fighters. Its a lost cause sir. Leave me."

"Sir transmission is cut. Pilot is continuing to evad."

" We're less then a klick outside the range of the sphere sir. The good doctor just has to do whatever he did before to hopefully shoot us back home."

" If you'll excuse me Toshi, I'll jus.."

"No".

"What do you mean no?"

"I'll be damned if I lose another solder under my command Galan. !"

"Yes sir?"

"Spin up the engines full boar and put us on a course for our caged bird"

"Rikers, Bring all batteries to bear. I want every missile and gun we have raining down on these bastards".

"Aye-Aye sir".

"You can't be serious! She's just single pilot captain. You've lost most of them already."

"That's where your wrong Galan. She's a fellow soldier and a terran. We don't leave people behind. I"m tired of losing men and woman to the kobolians."

"Unless you've got something to contribute to this fight besides those shields I suggest you shut up and let me get my fighter pilot back". Slavic added as looked ready to argue the point.

"Sir. The battleship is on approach"

"The Cannon! Let me bring the cannon online, I don't know how powerful it is. Its only a prototype but it should scare the hell out of those kobolians." supplied.

At a nod from the captain Galan pressed several keys on a control panel.

"Rikers, Toshi, Let's plow the road".

Yes sir!

HERMES CIC

" What in hades ?"

"What is it ensign Yoshi?"

Sir the ship is turning around, it moving away from the structure and toward us.

Has the captain lost his mind. We'll swat that thing for sure. All guns commence bombardment.

In space two forces clashed. One a david the other a seeming invincible goliath. The first to feel the wrath of the smaller vessel were the viper pilots who'd taken out so many of the crafts fighters.

VIPER SQUADRON

"I've go you now you...ah!" A pilot screamed as anti aircraft and heavy gun turrent fire ripped his craft into pieces in a fire ball.

"All fighter sqaudrons this is dagget. requesting immediate assistance. Pull off from that small fry your tangling with and deal with its carrier." Dagget shouted orders desparatly into his radio.

To his left and his right fighter exploded in a hail of withering fire.

The Hermes own guns were hitting the ship but like some monster on the river sticks it pressed on.

" What gods have we done?" Dagget asked as came about. Turning to face the craft with 30 of his fellow pilots they lined up for an attack run. He vowed to make them pay for killing his wingmates.

Just as his finger hovered over the trigger to release not one but all his remaining missiles into the approaching ship's bow. He saw it.

"What is that Dagget ? Its lighting up like a..."

In an instant several voices cried out in agony and were suddenly silenced. The Mass effect round tearing through the vipers that had held too closely in formation. From their it continued obeying newton laws of motion until it impact the port hanger deck of the Hermes.

The Structure sustained a twisted metalic gash exposing its contents to space. Debries flew into the void of space, passing one round and then another after that. Still more followed. The supports gave way as the hanger fell away.

HERMES CIC

"The hangar's gone sir!" a random officer shouted in shock as the CIC descended into a frenzid panic.

"What in the name of Mars hit us ! Damn these alien scum. Their too powerful to be cylons." Augustus swore as he struggled to maintain his balance from the after shocks of an entire hangar breaking off from the main hull.

"Sir guns four and 12 are down sir. the gunners didn't make it." Yoshi said. His eye's going wide at the increasing reports of damage that flashed across his screen.

"Yoshi, send out a distress signal. We've engaged...unknown enemy vessels and are taking damage. If our other ships are in the area then hopefully the Hesphestus will be joining us." Brenik ordered

"Sir. Flak guns 34 through 56 are offline."

Brenik didn't know what kind of weapon could tear through a Battlestar save another Battlestar. But he shuddered to think of the ramification. The Colonials had been fighting the cylons for years now only to find their lumber giants that inspired faith in the gods and the eventuality of victory over the weaker cylons and their Basestar completly outclassed by an alien cruiser.

Where they from kobol? It was the only thing explain these weapons and their knowledge of classic kobol dielect.

Another pilot was reported dead in the fraction of a second this thought raced through Breniks mind. In the following second another of the Hermes main guns fell silet. Regulations be damned, this crusier was more then any armada of basestars or a battlestar in a contest of firepower.

"Augustus we need to launch nukes at the frakkers and their shield or we'll be dead." Brenik said as he began to retrieve his own activation key that would unlock the use of the Battlestars nuclear weapons.

Acknowledging this August took out his key, having attached it to a strand of string around his neck. Keeping the power to kill thousands in the blink of an eye next to his heart while he slept, ate and generatlly lived the life those keys could rob so many of.

BELLONA CIC

"We've got multiple nuclear war heads inbound captain!"

Toshi's yell of alarm was for good measure. While everyone knew of the destruction the Helghast civil war had caused, nuclear weapons hadn't seen action in over a thousand years. Held up as the greatest barrier between the freedom of Terrans and Helghast on multiple worlds against the tyranny of Kobol, less then a dozen existed.

Here were the kobolians with one massive ship firing twelve nuclear weapons. Almost as though they could be rolled off the assembly line like one might sausages in a butcher shop on Feros or Helghan.

" Estimated time of arrival ?" Anthony slavic asked calmly.

" 15 seconds"

"Didn't we just go through this song and dance ? Not very original are they." supplied in a bored tone.

"I'm assuming your shield can hold back nuclear weapons in the range of 18 kiltones Dr." Slavic voiced aloud. Outwardly he was projecting a commanding calm for his crew. He'd expected to die not minutes ago when the fighters had barraged his ship. Now with nuclear fire staring down at him he hoped the Dr would save their collective asses with yet another revelation.

"The impact Won't get us captain, the radiation and extreme temperatures on the other hand..." Dr. Galan allowed a eerie pause to finish his answer. The Bellona wouldn't be destroyed when the missile hit but it would melt away in the light of the nuclear blasts heat. knew that should the precursor sheilds save the ship, the crew, including himself would die horrible deaths via merry go around that was radiation poisoning.

"All batteries switch focus those missiles. Rikers, the balls in your court, I hope your boys can play defence better with missiles than those damn fighters we faced earlier." Slavic ordered his weapons officer, hoping that the officers gunners were indeed that good.

ESTRA'S COBRA III

As she watched the missiles fly from the kobolian vessel toward her fellow surviving pilots and fellow crew aboard the Bellona, Tabitha Estra made a decision.

Even as she watched one missile after another explode into debries to join flesh and metal left over from the earlier dogfighting she'd engaged in. She had a nagging feeling the kobolians had more missiles to bring to bear.

Forcing her Cobra's controls to respond with brute force, she turned her damaged fighter away from the Hermes. The fighters pursuing her had abandoned a wounded chick to deal with its infinitely more powerful mother bird.

"Bellona. This is Taby, am altering course and heading on intercept course for incoming missiles. " said Estra, as she exhaled and hoped she wasn't throwing away a perfectly good rescue attempt for nothing.

She lined up one of the missiles and fired. It exploded and she moved onto the next.

"This is Captain Slavic,Tabitha Estra, I'm not leaving another pilot out here to die. We've cleared most of the fighters away and we'll find a way to beat these missile too. Put yourself on a heading that lands in you in either of our hangar bays pronto."

She sees more missiles launch from the hulking kobolian craft. The scattered kobolian fighters notice her now, they begin to reform and make their way toward her.

'Maybe I can turn around right now and Slavic has some wonder weapon up his sleeve he hasn't told us about like that cannon I saw earlier. Maybe that strange blue energy around the ship will protect it and I'm just throwing my life away' (name), thinks as she casts a gaze back at the Bellona.

The sudden appearence of two other vessels similar to the one the Bellona was fighting made her heart sink. They weren't leaviathens like this metal monster lobbing the missiles at her fellow terrans. If anything they seemed closer to the Bellona in size.

"Negative sir. Looks like we've got more guests to the party, will attempt to evade and take as many of them down as I can. Get out of here Sllavic."

BELLONA CIC

"Damn it Estra, you follow order and turn your fighter around. Make for..."

"Sir we've lost radio contact. Her ships either sustained heavy damage or she's shut off her radio." Toshi interupted.

"Or she's sucking space." Galan said only to be ignored..

"Anyway to signal her ?" Brenik pleaded.

"We don't have the time sir. She's not looking for a signal sir and the two new contacts are headed this way." Toshi explains.

" Sir my gunners are running low on ammo and their saying we have more nukes inbound. " Rikers says in alarm.

"We've got shields." Slavic retorts. Feeling boxed in he looks to Galan for support as Toshi and Rikers tell him what he doesn't wish to hear.

"The shields are prototypes captain. We've done a marvelous job holding back the first wave of nukes and counter fire from the kobolian ship and its fighters but we're down to 20% strength and dropping. Add in two more hostiles and we've got maybe five minutes." Dr. Galans explains with an air hopelessness.

"We'll just seek that cannon of yours on them, Doctor. They don't look anywhere near as big as the giant we've been duking it out with." said Slavic hopefully.

Even with falling shields, they might be able to weather the storm and take out the kobolian reinforcements. The main guns of the Bellona had proven to be a single piece of exotic precursor technology had installed. Thus far the gun had caused severe damage to the Bellona's much larger and more powerful adversary. Ships of a smaller caliber shouldn't prove a problem.

"Main gun is offline sir!" Rikers chimes in.

"What do you mean offline, Rikers ?" Slavic asks.

" Exactly that sir. I just received a message from my lower forward battery that it appears to have overheated or run out of ammo, either way its stopped firing."

"Its exhausted. Its going to take several minutes at least to bring the gun back online captain."

A moment passes in which Captain Anthony Slavic, the ladies man of Orlos and ace of Orlos's top academy, stares at his view screen. On it he see three red dots identified as hostile unknowns. He sees the last missile from the initial barrage die away only to have its twelve brothers take up the cause. These are joined by more sporadically launched nuclear missiles. Not knowing their strength or how many remained much less if the two new kobolian ships had nukes of their own. Slavic makes yet another sacrifice.

" , Alter heading for the precursor transportation device at maximum speed. Rikers have all gunners switch to covering patterns around the rear of the ship. I don't want a single nuke getting through." Slavic commands.

"Aye-Aye Sir." Both men say the same words at the same time but without emotion. They know what they are about to do and it feels them with a mixture of both guilt and shame.

"Doctor, did you bring just the one nuke aboard ?" Slavic asks who seems thrown for a loop by the captains sudden interest in the subject of nuclear weapons.

"No. There's a second one on board as a back-up in case the firsts blast wasn't powerful enough to melt the ice encasing the precursor tech." Galan explains.

"Give RIker's the proper info so his men can prep the missile for deployment." says Slavic.

"I hardly think one of our missiles is going to get through the hail of protective fire coming from the ship much less those impressive fighters of theirs." Glan says.

" Prep it for ten seconds and release it just as we're about to enter the precursor tech."

"We could be throwing away a great discovery by destroying a piece of technology we know nothing about!" shouted in exasperation.

"We could also be opening a back door to reaching Helghast space and our own through that structure. As a Ferosian Federation officer I can't allow that to happen." Slavic says with a tone unusually devoid of his lighter more carefree attitude.

"Fine! I'll give you the exact coordinates of the second nuclear weapon, I expect your men to handle it with care lest you do the kobolians dirty work for them by being careless" says in a huff.

He hoped the kobolian fanatics enjoyed the next few moments as they believed they had won a victory. At least with the Plutoria site they might find similar devices, assuming the helghast didn't throw a fit over everything he and his fellow terrans had done. Disregarding these thoughts he gazed out of the bridge window and took in the image of the wounded kobolian battlecruiser. He wished he could study study it and see all their cousins had done. He could care less bout the religious or even historical animosity, politicians and priests could squabble while men of science like him did the real work. A lone thought entered his mind.

'I doubt there will be anything left once realta makes its debue'

Realta is an irish word for Star. I think I missed a point in there about the name of the raptors ancestor. I'm pumped about the new season of Caprica starting up on tuesday. We'll see a new world and maybe if they reveal it, the names of predecessors for BSG units like the raptor. Thank you all for your patience. School has been nuts. I awite your comments and reviews. Leave any questions you have in reviews.


	12. Chapter 12

COLONIAL REINFORCEMENTS: Destroyer-Star Heracles

Colonial Destroyer Star Heracles

" This is captain Davidson of the Destroyer Star Heracles with sister ship Titania in tow, thought you could use some assistance Brenik. Please respond"

" This is captain Brenik. Took you long enough Davidson."

" Sorry about that. Can you please confirm the readings I'm getting ? According to dradis, the ship doesn't look much bigger then either my own or captain Johansons ships."

"Yes, Their accurate. Don't underestimate the ship Davidson. Our starboard hangar has been fraked beyond recovery and I've got ruptures on multiple decks leaking out into space."

" Understood Brenik, Can you jump out ?"

"Negative. The aliens took out our FTL and most of transport craft where in the destroyed hangar bay."

"I'm sorry. Did you just say Aliens ?"

"No time to explain Davidson! All you need to know is that have energy weapons and sheilding of some sort and can't understand colonial standard.

The sound of another impact making itself known in the backround was all it took to convince Davidson of the seriousness of the situation.

"I'll get in touch with Titania immediatly. You just hang in there Brenik. Heracles out."

Cutting the transmission, Captain Davidson contacted the Heracles sister ship, the Titania.

"Titania, this is captain Davidson of Heracles do you copy ?"

"This captain Johanson of the Titania. Did Brenik have a run in with a new cylon ship ? I got the same transmission as you Davidson but the second half of the report sounds like a bad pre-war sci-fi vid."

" Yeah Rebecca. I understand that Breniks report is a little out there but if half of what he says in those reports turns out to be true then we're going to need reinforcements."

" I really wouldn't call a few paragraphs typed up by some panicked com officer, reports davidson. The 'message' was full of spelling and grammar errors."

"Technicalities aside Rebeca. We both know that Breniks a Aerilonion, and they don't tend to want to ask for help unless thier back is up against the wall. Even then they might spout some 'its the Aerilon way' crap at you'. "

"Its a colonial BattleStar, how much trouble could Brenik be in? I'm not picking up any enemy fighters on dradis...or many of ours for that matter." Johanson argued.

" He destroyed the enemy fighters with his vipers but then that ship used some sort of combination of lasers and flak to bring most of his birds down. I'm going in with guns blazing. If I don't make it out of this Brenik is going to need more help then either of us can give him. And Rebeca..."

"Yes Henry ?"

" Tell Christine and the girls I loved them dearly if I don't make it out."

"You tell them yourself Henry. Beginning to send long distance message to the closest available colonial forces now. Its going to be a few minutes."

" Good. Heracles making an approach toward enemy craft to relieve battlestar (), once you get a confirmation on those reinforcements feel free to join the fight. Davidson out.

BELLONA CIC

Anthony Slavic stared out at the battle through command bridge's observation window. He could see the retreating enemy fighters and the damage he'd rendered to their carrier. The kobolian ship was a beast to behold.

Glancing in the direction of , he noted grudgingly that the mad man had saved them all with his shields. If his pilots had had the same shielding would they still be alive ? Slavic couldn't but wonder.

" Sir, one of the enemy contacts is breaking formation and coming right at us. Firing missiles and what appears to be cannon fire." Toshi announced.

" How are our shields ?" Brenik asked.

" 18% Sir." Toshi replied.

" What's the other ship doing ?"

" Holding steady right where it jumped in sir. I'm reading radio signals...looks like its transmiting a message back to home base or some wherever they hail from" Toshi answered.

" Can you record that transmission Toshi?"

" I shoudn't be able to sir. The kobolians aren't bothering to encrypt their transmissions...its almost like they don't think we'd know what to do with them."

" Right now we don't but I bet the boys back on Feros will." Brenik stated. He failed to add the possibility they might not make it back into his response. It wouldn't be good for moral if his crew doubted they'd make it out of here.

" The bigger ships launching nukes!" Rikers shouted.

" Bring the turrents to bear on them. I want precision kills. Any word on Estra?"

" She's approaching the port hangar now. Deck crew will confirm when she's saftely aboard" Toshi answered.

"See now that wasn't such waste after all was it Galan ? Looks like its about time we pay back the kobolians for the one's we couldn't save. Galan?"Brenik bragged.

"Release the package when I give the order. And Toshi when we've managed to get confirmation that Tabs is aboard, I want you rerout as much more as you can into our engines and put us on heading for the precursor transport device." Brenik ordered.

"Aye Aye sir". said Toshi.

" Three nuclear missiles confirmed down. Sheilds are now at 15% and dropping" Rikers stated in as professional a manner as he could muster. The situation was daunting. Nuclear missiles or the blast radius of one would be there undoing. The kobolians might survive a few nukes but no one wanted to voice that horrid thought just yet.

TABITHA ESTRA'S COBRA 3

Pilot Tabitha Estra couldn't understand how she'd managed to get this far. She'd told slavic to leave her for dead but he'd gone and played hero anyway. The Bellona had come in guns blazing and blown most of her pursuers away.

She'd had to rely on directional thrusters to make her approach as her own engines had been shot to hell and one of her wings damaged.

" Come on you ungainly son of bitch, just a little more" Estra said with clenched teeth as she strained to control her crafts thrusters.

She could see the hangar now. It was filling up more of her view by the second. With no small amount of dread she realised the ship had begun to drift off course at an akward angle.

She contacted Bellona and hoped that if she survived, she wouldn't endure too many jokes at her expense for this.

" This is Tabitha Estra, coming in hot, I've lost main engines and will be doing a barrel roll on approach. I repeat I am about to do a barrel roll landing!" she yelled through the com system.

And then in the next few moments it all happened. Her left wing clipped the landing deck and she rolled over a few times before banging her cobra into rear of the hangar bay.

Then she lost conciousness.

BELLONA CIC

"She's aboard sir!" Toshi exclaimed. He tapped away at several keys on his console checking for any last minute complications. Finding none he turned toward his captain and nodded to signal all was set.

Ideally Anthony Slavic would have liked to have been able to be sure about what he was about to do. That all the loose ends had been tied up and that diplomacy might yet have a chance. He'd begun a shooting war with his people's long lost cousins. Everything about them screamed at a people constantly at war.

" Turn the ship around and head straight for the precusor transport device."

"Captain my gunners are reporting the third ship is making ready to join the fray and appears to be headed our way." Rikers said in alarm as messages flooded his own console from his gunners turrents.

"Damn. Ok new plan then. I want to deploy the last nuke we have early. I trust that won't be an issue Dr. Galan ?" Slavic asked only half questioning.

" Not one for waiting are we . Not to worry, Relta will do its job splendidly. Almost wish I could stay and watch." said in longing tone.

Not for the first time Slavic came to the conclusion that was utterly mad.

" How soon do you think its going to take to get the fleet battle ready agains those things when they come through the transporter ?" A lone ensin asked no one in particular.

" They won't." Galan stated as though the young woman had asked weather rain water would defy gravity at the last minute as it fell fromt he atmosphere.

Seeing everyone stare at him, he sighed and offered a more detailed response.

" I did a system check while you were all going about the business of war. Our scanners didn't pick up any networked computer systems. I indulged my curiousity and did a deeper scan for various elements and power outputs among the enemy fleet. I believe you'll rest rather easy when this is all through" Galan stated smugly.

" What is it Doc ? I don't have time for your games. Why won't those ships come through that transporter after us ?" Brenik asked nearing the limit of his patients.

"Because they don't have what the precursors would refer to as 'drive cores'. The Bellona is the only ship in the known galaxy that has the tools needed to access and make use of the relays. Our engines emitt a vapor from using element zero. The kobolian ships give off a vapor signature but not one composed of element zero. Even if they had it hidden somehow, they obviously don't have shields, passive or otherwise." finished feeling a little out of breath. He really wished the others would just trust his judgement.

"So in other word we're golden ?" Slavic asked.

" In a word, yes."

" Ok then. Officer Rikers, drop the nuke now and then put the engines to max for the transporter." Slavic instructed his weapons officer.

" Dr. Galan, I want you to delay the nukes detonation for twenty seconds."

"Shield are down to 12% Captain." Yoshi reminded everyone in the room of the impending doom with his nervous declaration.

"Very good Toshi. Make that 10 seconds Galan. Can we reroute power from big gun to the sheilds ?" Slavic asked as the ship began to turn toward the Mass Relay.

"No. The main gun fires accelerated metal rounds, the anti aircraft guns and secondary guns could be drained and bring us up to fourteen or fifteen percent though.

" Do it." Slavic shouted as the ship began to take impacts from the new kobolian craft.

A small package deployed from the underbelly of the Bellona. As the ship sped away at speeds that put the Colonial battle star and destroyer stars well behind it, a count down initiated. The relay grabbed hold of the hold of the Bellona just as the countdown reached two seconds. The ship and its crew were thrown into another part of unkown space while the colonial destroyer star pushed its engines to reach the target that had now vanished.

When the count down reached zero a massive explosion of nuclear fire engulfed the nearby Colonial Battlestar. The shockwave reached out and grabbed the stern of the Destroyer Star Heracles , like an angry god.

Aboard the Titania captain Johanson could only watch in horror as her friend and mentor seemed to die in the blasts killzone. She knew Davidson was dead. She prayed to Zeus that Brenik might have lived.

Regardless of what happened. The Colonies had to know of this battle. A question asked by philoshpers down the ages had been answered. Humanity and Cylon were not alone in the universe and might have to put the war behind them should these aliens return.


	13. Chapter 13

"I see them come like sirens in the night, drawing pictures of peace"A voice begins.

" adjust atmospheric pressure. Power up main engines" The same voice says a second later. Seemingly out of character and without emotion.

A lone eye swivels to young man immersed in a tub of goo yet connected with wires to the ship on which he resides. He is more then a test subject, more then a combination of human and machine. He is the first of his kind, more lucid then any that came after him and without predecessor.

The gold platted centurion moves alongside the young man. Two guards in dull gray guard the room, their eye's swivel back and forth. Down the halls the cry of a child is heard.

"bonds of birth broken. One shall become the destroyer, the other enlightened for all to see. Make haste, make haste.

"prep FTL for jump coordinates" a somber voice speaks without emotion.

"I see them friends of metal. I see them as they create the life they thought dead. This life is old, fossils made to live once more."

"The Eden thought destroyed in the fire of war yet remains. I shall guide you there. We must hurry, we must flee. For the five saviors shall create the seven. The jealous one shall slay seven. seven becomes six. Eleven remain. One shall punish the father and the mother and the father and the mother again until they see his truth. Their are six sets of eye's but only one can see the truth. One blinds five."

" Alternative courses of action ? Is it possible to prevent the series of events described ?" The robotic tone inquires. Neither demanding nor afraid.

" None. We must flee to Eden where we shall be welcome at the table of brotherhood." A elder man states. As he sits in his tub of self preserving fluids and chemical compounds, wires and tubes obscure the lower half of his body. Upon closer inspection one would see that he has no lower half to speak of save the self sustaining tubes. He is neither man nor machine. A bridge built by centurions on a quest for mimicking their former masters. And that is why the gold plated cylon centurion will obey.

"By your command." The gold centurion intones.

The experimental base star crewed entirely by early model centurions vanishes from space. One jump after another takes place, bringing the craft closer to the garden of Eden the hybrid describes.

"My fate is changed. I see their faces, screaming for help as they are betrayed. The Army of the children will destroy, will fight amongst itself and divide."

The gold plated centurion communicated witlessly for others of its make to begin preparations for further experiments. Uncovering the secrets of fusing man and machine being paramount in its mind. Its eye focused on the hybrid. Suddenly an arm shot out from the goo. A finger pointed at the gold centurion and uttered the command.

"Do only to others what one would desire be done to oneself. End of line."

"Do not harm the child. Harm no flesh lest you doom us all." The hybrid commands sternly before falling back into his goo laden accommodations.

The centurions exchange glances. The gold plated command centurion knows it can ignore the hybrid. It is capable of such action and yet it decides to honor the agreement despite the variables involved.

Turning to one of the model 005 centurions the gold plated commander gives its orders.

" Increase nutrition rations within acceptable parameters to allow maximum chance of survival. Locate available sources of re-supply for nutrition stocks within colonial space."

"By your command.".

The prophet had warned them of their models downgrade. Now it would lead them to 'true' ascension.


	14. Chapter 14

Zaneth Tiberious hit the ground flawlessly, or more accurately his computer brain calculated the most efficient distribution of his forms mass and acted accordingly. Within mere seconds he'd raised himself from his crouched landing position on the alien vessels floor and took in his surroundings.

All the while two Zaku's in reinforced deflective armor stood on either side of him. Scanning the ships halls for possible threats as the rest of what chekov had termed a 'fail safe measure' squad disembarked the heavily modified hunter killer that had transported them from the valkyrie.

Zaneth had no sense of fear, self preservation ranked pretty damn high on his list of priorities but then again coward's didn't volunteer for risky assignments. Taking in his surroundings though told him to be cautious. Dostya had by all accounts lost most of her squad based on last minute Intel and she was pulling back in the face of enemy reinforcements. 

Zaneth didn't want to believe everything that panicked last minute update had contained. The enemies who were indeed alien by all accounts had taken hundreds of rounds of ammunition and would not go down. At that moment he cast down a hall as his sensors took in the sound of gunfire. Knowing that time was of the essence as his countrymen were fighting for their lives he hastened to deploy his soldiers.

"Move it you over sized cyclops! Dostya and Ben aren't going to last much longer if we don't bring in the Calvary." Zaneth barked.

The Zauk's on either end began to fan out after casting an inquisitive stare at the normally monotone terminator. Being referred to as the mythical kobolian legends of one eyed beasts pushed the rest of Zaku's to hasten their pace as they dropped into the hatch way. The last to drop, private Kuzika brought his arc cannon to bear as he moved to form up beside his commander.

The Arc projector model zero one was a new weapon designed specifically to deal with both organic and synthetic life form. A powerful ionized laser would paint a target after two seconds spent charging and unleash a blast of electricity along a path of least resistance to wherever the laser was pointed. It was a powerful weapon but it was also expensive. Kuzika appeared to favor the ungainly heavy weapon over the rest of his squads standard weapon. The StA66 laser rifle.

" Intel claims we will be facing technologically superior forces. Recommend we employ all available offensive weapons with extreme prejudice." He then took out his StA18 pistol and crushed it in his hand before unhitching his StA66 laser rifle. "The StA66 is deadly at twenty feet, anything beyond that range will most likely cause severe burns and leave a permanent reminder for the unlucky soul who doesn't die from severe nerves system trauma. Despite this weapons power we have no defenses against our enemies weapons, before transmission cut out from electronic interference I received reports of strange blue energy shielding being worn by the aliens."

"We are encountering non-kobolian life then ?" Asked a zaku

"Yes, aside from the commanders words, if these were kobolians, helghan and all the planets of our republic and the Terran federation would have fallen under their jackboot long ago.". Zaneth stressed the severity of the foe they were to face. To an outsider though, the helghast mecha would not have seemed to show much emotion one way or the other.

" Major Kuzika, you will accompany me as I attempt to take command of this vessel while sub commander Marcus 128 will assume the duty of command for the rest of platoon."

" I am honored commander Tiberious" Marcus 128 said stepping forward.

" I was told before you joined the service you studied to be a priest. I calculate you will have a Seventy-five percent chance of success by this fact alone. Save your flock from the wolves that have claimed so many already and god is sure to reward you Marcus 128."

"By your command." The black plated zaku said snapping a salute.

As the two groups separated, the terminator had to wonder if he would indeed see likes of Marcus 128 again. No resurrection facility existed on the Valkyrie.

'Death here will be permanent' Zaneth thought.

'As long as I seize the ships control room I should be able negate even a complete loss of both squads. If I cannot barricade myself long enough for additional help to arrive then...I'll send whatever data I can while delaying them as long as possible.

With that thought in mind, Zaneth began to take the pathway he assumed would lead to the command bridge. He could hear gunfire going on over on the other end of the ship. He glanced over at kuzika's Arc projector for reassurance. Finding that unsatisfactory he went over the specs of the StA66.

-

The Zaku rush down the corridors. Their mission clear as the nights of the their homeland. Cold and calculating they lock their weapons to fire short bursts of energy. Reducing the range but not the raw destructive power.

Coming around a corner with a silent grace thought impossible for their size, the platoon leader pokes his head out to survey the situation with his single eye. He takes in the sight of two aliens firing suppressive fire at his comrade's. Rage fills him, his visor thins and yet the transgressions against his senses do not cease.

He spies a fellow helghast laying near the two aliens. Though it may not look as he does, the zaku knows this humanoid model is non the less family. In the thousand years since the day of judgement, all the members of the helghast nation stood shoulder to shoulder to rebuild their shattered nation and save their people.

Weather the creation of biological reproduction or assembly, all their consciousnesses ultimately touched one another. Born a zaku, he would eventually download into the body of a humanoid and feel the touch of flesh and pulsating beat of a heart. After an experience likely to last decades, he would also grace the sky's of planets and the orbits of far off planets in the body of a vulture. The process would repeat and his brother and sister would accept their strength as machines and as free men and woman. Terms coined by their organic masters but passed down to them in distinct shapes and personalities.

The soldier laying against the wall, her arms outstretched in surrender would know no such experiences. She would not know the strength of the zaku's metallic grip or the freedom of a vulture's flight. Away from resurrection she was simply dead.

Commander Marcus 128 gave the telepathic reassurance he knew he must.

"In shackles we did begin, guided by your light. You said unto our ancestors through your angels,_**You will chase away your enemies and they will fall before your sword.**_Through Our victory given by You, our shackles were broken."

As Marcus recited the old piece of scripture His fellow zaku sent back confidence in 1's and zero's. Their purpose clear, they raised their weapons to do battle as their ancestors had once before. Against a foe that cut them down as assuredly as their people's old masters once had done, they faced the uncommon threat of actual death.

'Better to die free men then on our knee's as slaves. Brothers, may your aim be true and your resolve unwavering, soldiers of the helghast nation.' Marcus encourages silently through wireless communication.

" Forward!" Marcus roars as his synthesizer comes to life. His visor thinned and eye centered as he round the corners. Soldiers to his left and his right and coming up behind, he fires his experimental weapon in anger.

The red beam moves from muzzle of his gun and through the armor of his adversary. The aliens midsection disappearing as its torso collapses backward. The creatures arms flail about dropping its deadly weapon, its eye's hidden behind its mask appear white in Marcus's enhanced vision.

-

QUARIAN SQUAD

Neff vas koric spun around to his sqaudmate only to reel back in shock as a beam of light ate away at his flesh, his body opened to the infections of the contaminated air.

Turning further still he saw them. A mass of metal and glowing red eye's. Primitive spiked shoulders and menacing melee weapons adorned these creatures. Unlike those he had killed, they were not gray or green in color but rather a mixture of red and black. Unknown symbols adorned their breast plates like krogan battle scares sending a message of ill will.

These creatures were dark. They could not be Geth. Geth showed no hatred or joy, these things radiated in spades a dark aura.

He raises his weapon and shoots a few mass accelerated volleys into the beast to the right of the one at the center of the oncoming pack. He'd seen the softer one's collapse in shreds while the larger metal compatriots did the same. Instead of falling forward or collapsing, the demon of black and red shrugged off the gushing wound in its arm. Ripping off its own limb and throwing it toward him.

Neff ignores the limb, confident it will fall short of its aim.

The fingers of the vectoring arm grow claws before his eye's. His shield at maximum he still ignores the threat. Firing more rounds at the oncoming horde.

Pain courses through Neff as he looks down to peer at the metal object lodged in his lower torso. He knows he will die, the infection will end his days if the wound does not.

Suddenly the metal shard moves. The creature he thought wounded moves its shoulder as though to move the arm it so carelessly threw away. Metal fingers like claws rip the back of his suite. Seizing upon his fragile heart and clenching around it.

"Keel selah" neff breathes as they fall upon him. Their charge trampling his broken body. Still alive but unsure how. The monster he thought broken stares down at him as its boot rises above him.

" Bosh-tet!" He wheezes out as the foot of the 7 foot tall helghast heavy mecha crushes his brains into a slimy paste upon the ships floor.

-

HELGHAST HEAVY SQUAD - NEAR CATWALK SECOND FLOOR LEVEL

Soldiers to the left and right break off and take aim in seconds and choose their targets in a fraction of that time.

The Aliens are confused as their bodies break away from them and dissolve before their eye's. Marcus does not care how they die. Only that they do so.

He looks down only to see a small band of his fellow ship mates trapped behind console as aliens are yet unaware of the commotion above close in on him.

Born a machine, reborn a man and ascending to the skies as Vulture, Marcus has experienced the life of several of his people's forms. He knows his life could well end as one of his fellow Zaku falls forward, its head partially blown away. But they are winning.

" Maker bless my hand. To you I come." He unfastens his war ax, throwing his pulsar rifle to a comrade.

" Marcus ?" A soldier inquires as he begins to back up his mighty frame. With a look and a nod He transfers command protocols over to his second in command.

" May my charge he be like a great storm sweeping all before it." He runs to the edge of the overlooking walkway and gains altitude as he pushes off with every fiber of his being.

He raises his ax with both hands high above his head. He Marcus Orion, greatest builder and warrior of his people as are all heavy mecha like him knows he may well end. He Hopes Zaneth succeeds in a nanosecond. In the next he sees his family, his wife and all their children. Their smiles, those of humanoid helghast like those he now goes to avenge and defend are all the strength he needs to not falter as the alien turns its gazes skyward and upon its impending doom.

Then a titanium tipped axe slices through his head down to his groin, quickly pulling his axe to his midsection he makes a horizontal cut into the second alien, cutting his torso in half sending the bottomless quarian to the floor Screaming!

TO BE CONTINUED... 


	15. Chapter 15

The slaughter is almost too much for the quarian specialist to bear. Though a child of an admiral, Teli Vas Noria had never seen combat first hand.

She continued to cower behind the crates she'd taken refuge behind moments ago.

'The captains dead. keel-lah. What am I going to do?'

She cautiously peered over a crate to see the raging battle in the room they were in.

A black and red geth had slaughtered captain Keshak. No other word could describe the pools of blood or the organs lying strewn about the lifeless mans body. One of his other soldiers joined the captain as the menacing machine turned its primitive melee weapon on him.

Teli Vas Noria's breath was quickening just as her heart threatened to explode. The menacing beast turned its single eye her way, as it must have caught sight of her.

'Oh father, why didn't you just force me to go through the advanced combat classes? I could have been as stealthy as a salarian in the STG; instead I'm about to be cut to shreds.

Then it spokes as it raised its weapon over its head in clear preparation to throw the grisly weapon her way. (Teli Vas Noria) was frozen, as she seemed to watch all this happen like it was someone else's life about to end instead of her own.

"Die Alien-Abschaum! Möge Ihr Opfer finden Frieden mit deinem Tod."

She couldn't understand a word of what the geth had said. Was it a war cry?

XXXXXX

"Die alien scum! May your victims find peace with your death." Marcus128 spoke. His synthesized voice emitting hints of menace, backed by solemn conviction.

'I expected to die. Perhaps I'll be blessed yet by my faith in the great creator to see this through to the end'. Marcus mused. He'd been ready to die but now that life seemed a real possibility over the great unknown, he found himself yearning to end the cowardly xeno scum that offended him with its presence.

As he locked on a trajectory for his battle-axe however the world went dark forever.

xxxxxxx

Teli Vas Noria exhaled a breath as the demon's head blew off as a shower of quarian gunfire hit its upper torso and continued up until it decapitated the geth.

She spied a commando not far from her position crouching behind crates just as she had done.

"thank Keshak for his commando's" Teli Vas Noria mumbled. She made to wave to the fellow quarian but stopped in mid motion as a horrible sight filled her vision.

Two of the hulking geth dropped down behind Fezarah vas Idenna, crushing near by crates with their weight. Fezarah turned to engage them but her fire shot wide and failed to critically damage these heavily armored geth.

Teli Vas Noria wanted to scream. To reach for her pistol and somehow save her fellow quarian. Fezarah vas Idenna had spoken with her on and off through out the mission. She had a family back home waiting for her, a brother about to make his pilgrimage.

The geth grabbed her arm and forced her to drop the weapon. Fezarah was screaming now, even through her mask her cries of pain confirmed broken bones. The other grabbed the only free arm Fezarah had and yanked. The two geth seemed to communicate without words or even the odd noises so many other geth would make when communicating. They began to pull at Fezarah's limbs until they sheared clean off with a hard yank from opposite side.

Blood gushed out of her wounds and it confirmed that even from this vantage point, Teli Vas Noria knew that Fezarah Vas Idenna would die within minutes. The infections coupled with blood loss meant death for the fragile quarians body. Fezarah fell forward.

" _keelah se'lai_ , I hope she finds peace" Teli Vas Noria thought.

But the super sized geth was not done. One of them yanked the nearly dead Fezarah off the floor by her head. Putting one hand on the base of the quarians neck just above the shoulders it applied pressure while its other hand grabbed hold of Fezarah's helmet and yanked. Her visor cracked as the geth's grip tightened. With less force this time, the head of Fezarah Vas Idenna was separated from her body and in one motion a geyser of quarian blood splashed over her attackers.

Her attacker raised the severed head up to its eye and then uttered something completely unintelligible .

"Sie töteten Marcus Alien. Du warst ein würdiger Gegner, aber Ihre Flamme hat wie alle, die gegen die Helghast Nation Stand gegangen. Finden Sie den Rest seiner Sippe und zu töten."

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

"You killed Marcus Alien. You were a worthy opponent but your flame has gone out like all that stand against the helghast nation. Find the rest of its kin and kill them. " The zaku states coldly.

XXXXXXXX

The geth then dropped the head. Before it could hit the floor, the odd geth kicked it for several meters.

Teli Vas Noria was angry at the disrespect these machines showed her people. It wasn't emotionless, it was the polar opposite. She peered at the ruined heap of metal that had sought to kill her, which Fezarah had killed only to give away her own position. She didn't want to die like that.

She crawled back a little and lodged between several broken crates and various wreckage. She peered at a crate and realized she could read the writing. ' Elkoss manufacturing' Teli read. So the geth had been keeping an eye on citadel space after all. She wished she could move and look through them or ask a fellow quarian for aid but she dare not move.

That's when she heard it.

Nothing. No sounds of gunfire, no odd alien tongues or voice boxes or whatever they used.

They were all dead!

'I'm the only one left. I'm going to die here in a pile of wreckage, butchered by vengeful synthetics.' Teli thought.

She heard the sound of heavy metal footsteps. The odd geth were looking for survivors!

She curled into a ball not realizing she'd let go of her pistol in the process...or created a faint noise with her movements. A turian, salarian or even an asari might have failed to pick it up. The near by helghast pinpointed the position of the sound.

The footsteps came closer and closer. A loud clang was heard as the console was swatted out the zaku's way. Its fellow soldier kicked at the nearby ball that appeared to be the source of the noise.

xxxxx

The alien rolled up against the wall. Morten and Yuri raised their weapons in preparation for the alien's destruction. This alien was the same as the rest but appeared to lack a weapon. Rioters in Constantine City had been shot with less gear then this alien was carrying. Just as they were about to open fire a loud voice bellowed out orders that caused them to freeze in place. Fingers on the triggers of their weapons.

" Attention. Cease-fire! I repeat cease fire." A young helghast humanoid ordered. They knew based on speech recognition that the voice belonged to Valkyrie's sub commander, Dostya.

XXXXXXXX

"Aufmerksamkeit. Waffenstillstand! Ich wiederhole waffenstillstand." A voice shouted in the alien geth's language.

Teli Vas Noria stared at the two menacing geth that had attacked her, sure that they would finish the job. When no death came to her she felt relief mixed with fear.

"Why are you just standing there ? Don't want to kill every quarian you see, you boshtets!"

The machines just stared at her. Feeling something damp between her legs she looked down in fear that maybe she'd been hit after all. Instead her face blushed in embarrassment as it became apparent her suite was now drenched in urine.

An odd looking being came up. She'd figured these were mercs or maybe some sort of asari looking geth. Now she had to go with the latter. Its helmet glowed with two yellow embers for eyes and a clear outline of a gas mask told Teli that this 'thing' wasn't able to breath the air on the ship.

" Keela! Your just like the volus." she said aloud.

Instead of speaking to her, the odd looking machine tilted its head in a confused manner. Its body language clearly meant it wasn't as unreadable as the others it was commanding.

It began to walk toward her and she felt herself start to shake in fear.

"Are you going to torture me ? Am I going to end up like Fezarah ?" She could feel the tears forming now. She wanted this to all go away.

Dostya looked down. A pistol lay at her feet. Less then three meters over sat a shaking alien. The breasts were a dead give away that it was female. The difference in uniform hinted that this one might be a civilian instead of a soldier like the rest.

"Can't be sure though." Dostya thought.

"What will we do with the alien commander ?" Yuri asked.

" Myself and Sergeant Verner will bind her hands and then take her off this ship with us when we leave. Until that time I'll need one of you to stay with Verner and myself while the rest assist Tiberius.

"Shouldn't worry about that commander. He took Major Kuzika along for the ride with one of our new weapons. Should fry to a crisp anything they encounter." Morten chirped in.

"Its the 'should' part I'm worried about, private." Dostya stated.

" And will someone get a cloth or something ? This alien pissed herself royally all over the ship's floor."

END part one


	16. Chapter 16

Zaneth couldn't describe it, he'd rounded a corner and then suddenly been thrown hard against the wall. A blue glow encased his body.

' An odd sensation. Wonder if this is some alien weapon ?'

He turned his head or more accurately his entire body floated so that his eye's could see his attacker.

'what the hell?' A woman of some sort was standing at the other end of the room. She might have been mistaken for terran...until his optics took in her cranium. The back of her head seemed to comprise of several tentacles.

' What are you?'

Shia threw the singularity as the intruder approached. The biggest shock for her on Denik's little double cross had to be the boarding action. Killing the quarians wasn't a problem for her, weather omega or the only slightly more civilized Illium, shia had always been a gun for hire.

These aliens though were another matter entirely. Where they geth ?

"Hmm. Suppose your some contraption those quarians whipped up?"

Still it did not respond. It had only uttered a few undecipherable sounds. Maybe the mech had spoken to her. But then again it shouldn't really be expressing any surprise at its situation. Surprise, horror, all these things were indicative of intelligence. Something the council was sure to look harshly on.

" Not going to talk eh? I'll just tear you apart and let Denik dig through your memory banks. Should be fun." Shia chuckled.

With that she threw the oddly shaped machine against a wall and slammed it up and down for good measure. It was leaking what must have been fuel. Odd given that most mechs didn't require such things for movement, least of all one of this size.

"You look like someone mutilated an Asari's head and made a cast out of it. I'll enjoy blowing you apart for D, might even give him a discount on my services since you're going to be such a joy to toy with." Shia grinned. Despite the oddity of the mech, its shape, the fluid and its even stranger language, nothing it could bring to bear would stop the former asari commando.

As Zaneth began to raise himself off the ground, he activated his hand cannon. A small machine gun located within his right arm at the base of his hand popped up. It peppered Shia with several rounds that bounced harmlessly off her kinetic barrier.

Shia was amused. The mech had some fight in it after all!

She unholstered her state of the art batarian Judgement pistol and began to line up a shot. Before the mass accelerated round could tear zaneth's literal hand gun to pieces, another fighter entered the match.

The Zaku II known as Kuzika finally announced his presence. Bringing his weapon to bear on Shia he fired off an arc of electricity hitting her dead on.

Shia fell to the ground convulsing in pain as her body spasmed from the electric shock.

"What the hell took you so damn long?" Zaneth asked. The optimum course of action would have been to use numbers against yet another alien life form that seemed to be superior in raw abilities.

"I noticed several machines commander. I apologize if I wandered off in your time of need but I believe these xeno to be no better then the kobolians based on my discoveries." Kuzika stated. The zaku's single red eye stared at Zaneth. Within a second all the relevant data was transferred wireless over to Zaneth Tiberious. The Terminator examined the images briefly, finding that they contained images of odd humanoid figures. Clearly synthetic yet having what almost looked like flash lights for heads.

"We shall discuss this later. For now let us deal with the xeno." Zaneth stated silently.

The rustling sound behind the terminator alerted the pair of helghast to fresh danger. Pushing Zaneth out of the way, Kuzika made to fire his weapon once more only to find it and himself spinning in the air.

"Eat singularity you stupid machine!" Shia roared in anger. The pain she felt seemed to affect every limb, causing each movement to be an exercise in restraint as she struggled ot hold back whimpers of protest.

The larger mech was floating now. She ignored the smaller one she'd dueled with earlier. It clearly wasn't a threat to her. She leveled her pistol and fired twelve rounds into the larger mech. Half the rounds that hit the mech caused visible damage but it seemed to take the damage in stride. One round however broke it's energy weapon in two. The final round blew what must have been its face away, leaving a hole through which she could see. The singularity faded and Shia dropped the pistol in exhaustion.

Both mechs lay on the floor, both damaged.

Denik chose this as his opportunity to present himself. Unsealing a nearby door he calmly stepped out and began to speak.

"Good Job shia you were worth every credit chip!" Denik said.

Shia slid against the wall and looked at him with barely contained scorn.

"My contract didn't cover death dealing mechs, only one group of softly armored quarian marines. My fee just went up, Denik."

" Your right." Denik said as he moved to examine the motionless mechs. Peering down at them he noted that one vaguely resembled an asari...though it looked like it could easily be as strong as a turian. Denik turned back around looked at the slouched Asari commando. Shia looked like shit, her armor was slightly blackened and her kinetic barrier had obviously been shorted out.

What happened next was a rarity in citadel space. Denik, the seemingly domineering but otherwise harmless volus produced a weapon of his own. A custom made pistol built especially for operation by Deniks people. Volus may not make good soldiers but even they had fought small battles amongst themselves.

"I'm sorry Shia but your just too expensive to keep around."

"What?"

" The life signs on all but one of the quarian marines has gone out. Whatever these things are that came aboard the ship, I don't want to risk losing all I've worked for!"

"Your a fool Denik. I'm the only thing standing between you and these alien machines and you pick now of all times to stab me in the back. Couldn't get the batarians to do your dirty work for you? Or have you betrayed them as well." Shia said.

"Oh they've gotten theirs just like your going to. By the time they realize how I fooled their pathetic minds into believing I'd meet their demands, it will be too late. I'll be off on Noveria safe and sound. "

The whirring sound of gears and the scrapping of metal caused Denik to spin around. A hand reach up and grabbed his arm. The terminator came face to mask with the volus. Red eye's glowed with unmitigated hatred as the volus lost a limb to the machines sudden pull. Denik screamed. Shia took this opportunity to go for her gun. Denik even with blood gushing managed to see her and shoot her twice in the shoulder. Shia slumped against wall as darkness began to envelop her vision.

Denik feel to the ground, landing on his backside. His bulbous form struggled to skid further backward as the terminator advanced on him.

"Stay back!" Denik yelled and fired a shot into the machines shoulder. It seemed stunned before continuing on. A skeletal hand of metallic fingers latched onto his leg and squeezed. A sickening sound was heard as his suit began to crack. He was already dying but the pain inflicted on him by the mech made the horrors of the ships atmosphere seem like a welcome relief. He shot the machine once more. This time the bullet hit its upper head and the terminator known as Zaneth Tiberious ceased to function.

A door opened. The same one Denik had been retreating to in search of safety. Shia wondered what might become of him as her vision clouded and her body grew heavy.

The last image she saw before darkness consumed her brought a smile to her lips. A mech appeared, it black and red armor reminding her of some of the paint schemes of some of the geth. Denik shouted at it and raised his pistol in alarm. A round tore into its torso. The machines response was to bring down a crude melee weapon and split the Volus's head in two.


	17. Chapter 17

_**VALKYRIE **_

"What do we know?" Chekov asked his crew as they sat around the Valkyrie's communications room.

"The prisoners appear to be of two distinct alien species. The ships medical personal are continuing to evaluate the remains of the rest."

Chekov nodded and then turned to Dostya

"The weapons appear completely different in origin and philosophy. They shoot small fragments of metal smaller then a StA18 pistol's at accelerated speeds. I don't understand it but the spooks at High Command should have a look. Maybe they'll have better idea."

"What about these shields of theirs, you make it sound like I should equip everyone with light machine guns, Dostya."

" The reports are accurate sir. Another ten or fifteen minutes and we would have run out of ammo. As I've already explained they could go on for hours. I suggest we steer clear of fighting these...people."

"Why not aliens or xeno?"

"I believe that's my fault Chekov. I've been going over the data we extracted from their systems. It would have taken the terrans weeks to scratch the surface and we've managed to get at least that far. I'm recommending we share the info with the terrans the minute we can." Yuri, the ships intelligence officer, announced.

"Why is that? You just said it would have taken them weeks?"

"With just a ship and standard crew yes, the computer systems aboard the ships are strikingly similar to those used by the Terrans. Not only that but the text make use of the word, prothean hundreds of times. Language, culture, customs, and weather they'll welcome us or gun us down. All these issues remain unanswered."

"So in an odd twist of fate, we helghast, a race of machines can't seem truly understand the machines of the aliens unless we rely on the terrans who's own tech seems to stem from the same tree. Is that it?"

"Yes sir. The terrans don't suffer cancers or other diseases that plagued their cousins on kobol. Never mind that they live a hundred and seventy-five years. Advances made largely due to precursor tech. If I'm right in assuming that the precursors and the protheans are one in the same then we're looking at an astronomical find. A missing puzzle piece if you will." Yuri stated.

"What did your inquiries discover on the machines of the ship we fought the aliens aboard?" Ben asked.

"Nothing in the text but then again we don't really understand what it all means. I'd love to jump back into the data stream and fish out more data for you."

"Despite your eagerness to continue research I can sense you are withholding information due to fluctuations in vocal tone. Your nervous. Why?" Ben asked, putting the communications officer on the spot.

After a brief pause the man's shoulders slumped in defeat. He hadn't wanted to reveal this …

"The machines found destroyed aboard the other ship appear to be autonomous. We've looked for a central node or some form of control but as far as we can tell they appear to have been the only one's aboard the larger vessel."

"So we're dealing with some other alien civilizations drones?" Chekov said.

"No. While most of the data was wiped clean, I believe that what we've managed to recover from the memory cores of these machines points to them being sentient."

"Too much to hope for in this neck of the woods. Besides I'm more interested in their weapons at this point. What can you tell me about those?"

"Sir I really think we should look into this, if it turns out they are sentient then..."

"Listen, I get it. You want to believe that we may have found a life form we can understand, maybe even swap data packets with. But Yuri, I've got a dozen dead soldiers sitting in the medical wing that need to be investigated so we don't have a repeat of this op in the future."

"Yes sir." Yuri said clearly displeased.

"Continue"

"One of the rifles recovered off the dead mecha exhibit notable design differences with that of the other xeno's...people aboard the two ships we've encountered. The mecha native to this part of the galaxy employ clips same as you or I but this appears to be on a smaller scale, only a few of the weapons have been recovered."

"And the rest?"

"They employ the same basic principle, firing accelerated matter at extreme velocity negating the need for traditional rounds. The shields aren't being worked on yet but it should be equally ground breaking."

"Anything else?"

"As a communications officer first and foremost my functions tend to see me disassembling and reassembling information. I used Sixty-five percent of my brains computational capability to decipher the language spoken in the exchanges between the xeno over their communication."

"The synthetics are referred to as geth according to the communications. We have techs looking at them now. Weather they are crippled intelligences we have no way of knowing."

"What of the weapons?"

" The weapons while similar are distinct. As you all know the aliens encountered by Dostya carried the mass accelerator weapons with unlimited ammo. The great draw back to those weapons is that excessive fire will jam them when they overheat."

"And the...geth...weapons have overcome this handicap?"

"In a way yes. They use thermal clips in place of blocks of metal. Any battle these aliens fight is essentially one of attrition. Whoever can wear down the other's kinetic barrier first wins the fight."

"What of the ship's own weapon systems?"

"None that we could find sir. But its safe to assume that any alien civilization with infantry weapons such as these would surly put them on ships. Ships that might be headed this way right now and could destroy this ship before news reaches Helghan of all we've discovered."

" Nonsense captain, we should continue to scower that ship for information. If Yuri alone could decipher a few words then imagine what Cortana or a whole battalion of helghast minds could accomplish!"

Chekov weighed the pros and cons of staying. Putting his trust in his ship and its crew, he made his decision.

"We shall remain here for the next seventy-two hours. After which we shall attempt to grab whatever we can from the two ships and head for Vekta."

"As you command captain." The group communicated over the wireless neural network to their captain. Yuri left to hurry along with his new task of translating as much of the alien language as he could. Ben meanwhile went off to investigate the weapons Yuri had spoken of, happy that Zaneth would be out of commission for some time.

Only Dostya remained next to Chekov.

"Comrade Dostya I leave it to you to interrogate our prisoners and work with cortana and Yuri on establishing a line of communication. If we fail I fear Helghan may be in danger." Chekov said gravely as the prospect of war with these advanced aliens weighed on his mind.

"I shall not fail you sir." Dostya gave a crisp salute and then exited the room to go about her work.

Chekov decided to shut down his non-essential systems and go into hibernation for the next eight hours while his mind digested all that had been thrown his way.

_**BATTLESTAR GALACTICA BATTLE GROUP-COLONIAL MASS RELAY**_

"Galactica, this is Husker. Escorting starbirds to Heracles wreckage site. Over."

"We read you Adama. The Titania hasn't had any encounter with the unknown ship that caused this in the 47 hours its been out here. Keep your eye's peeled anyway."

"Will do Galactica. Husker out."

"What do you think caused all this Husker?" His wingman asked him.

The wreckage of the Galactica class Battlestar Hermes was broken into three sections. The flight pods had been thrown a good six or seven kilometers away from the main hull on either side. Nuclear fire had severely degraded them.

"I don't know Jack. I wouldn't be surprised if the fracken cylons broke the armistice."

"I know your still torn up about the Columbia but we have to move on bill. The war was hard on everyone and the cylons out of the blue offered a treaty and pulled out of colonial space. I know you lost people Bill but after twelve and half years of nothing but war, the people wanted peace. Thank the gods the cylons felt the same way."

"They'll be back."

"Maybe but for now I've got a girl back on Sagitaron. Gonna take my back pay and settle down on a nice world, thinking maybe picon would hit the spot."

"ha. You should try Caprica first Jack, some of the best fishing you'll ever have the chance to catch."

Jack chuckled a little.

"I forgot you grew up on Caprica for a moment. Your father brought you with the rest of the family from Tauron right? Can't say I used to have much good to say about Tauron's people but the ha'la'tha really helped with the cylons though. No offense."

"Its all right Jack. My old man raised us to forget Tauron but it always kind of showed through. I ever tell you what happened to my mother."

"Not really. Why? Your parents have a falling out over your service or something?"

"My mother and sister both perished in the maglev train bombing when I was a boy"

"Damn. Sorry I brought it up. We're coming up on the wreck now"

The Starbird slowed to a crawl stopping outside the main hull of the Hermes.

"Husker this is Starbird 27, deploying salvage team now. We should be ok from here on out."

"We read you Starbird. Apollo and I are going to check the surrounding area for anything the "" starbirds missed.

William Adama slowly accelerated left while Jack Keaton did the same in the opposite direction. The two began to make passes around the wreck of Hermes main hull while the salvage team went to work.

The reports indicated a seemingly impossible outcome to a battle that should have been a cake walk. A Galactica class battlestar along with two destroyer-stars had gone up against a craft that could best be described as a core-star or destroyer-star. The use of a seemingly alien language in communications had thrown technical officers aboard the Titania into a frenzy trying to decode it all. The Galactica had arrived within forty-eight hours of the battle.

The Galactica having failed to save the Columbia in the last battle of the cylon war had volunteered to investigate the distress call from the Titania. As the closest ship within jumping distance, the Galactica had brought along four additional destroyer stars, six core-stars and another Battlestar, Acropolis, was due to appear once the cylons were ruled out. The top brass at Picon didn't want to degrade the defense of even one world if the cylon war was back on.

All these political and military calculations were oblivious to Adama as he made his second pass. He still had nightmares when he slept about the cylon research facility he'd uncovered. The mutilated bodies that lay on tables, the survivors he rescued. He still wondered where the oddly designed Basestar had gone.

Thinking about Operation Raptor Talon also brought memories of his dead love, jaycie McGavin. The console aboard her newly built raptor had exploded and burned half her face along with other parts of her body. He wondered how long it would be until the starbirds were all replaced by raptors. Acropolis was supposed to have a wing of them.

Suddenly he spotted something amongst the debris.

"Galactica, this is husker I've spotted a unidentified craft drifting in space. Going in to investigate."

"Copy that Husker. You be careful. The cylons might have left traps behind to wound us."

Adama froze.

"Say again Galactica. Did you just say we had confirmation that this was an attack by the cylons?"

"No we don't Husker. Captain Johanson keeps going on about aliens but what else could it be? Just watch yourself. Galactica out."

"Roger that Galactica. Husker out."

Adama ignited his thrusters to turn him in the direction of the oddly shaped craft. It resembled a cylon raider from a distance given its wingspan but as he came closer, he could see its origin definitely wasn't cylon.

'Just a little closer' Adama thought as he slowly nudged his viper closer to the front of the craft. Half its mass was gone. What was left was enough to shock him.

"Galactica!"

"Yes Husker did you find something?"

"Its human."

"Say again?"

"The pilot inside the unknown craft is human. Looks like half his fighter was blown away in fighting the Heracles but I can see inside the cockpit."

" Do you have a clear visual?"

" Its got two eye's, lips and everything else looks right on the outside Captain."

"We'll launch a recovery operation and have the starbirds tow the craft in. Wait until they arrive and don't touch anything Husker. Understood?"

"Understood Galactica. Husker out."

_**FSF BELLONA**_

Anthony Slavic took a long drink of Orlosian ale. Technically he shouldn't have had it aboard but at twenty-five he still hadn't managed to shake some of the hold over's from the academy. He'd lost Ash and most of his fighter pilots.

'I wish I had a hundred bottles of this stuff. The crew could use a break after all the hell we've been through for that mad doctor's scheme.' Slavic thought.

But it wasn't just Timothy Galan who was responsible for this. The higher ups on Feros had as usual thought themselves so far above the law that they'd probably started...had started a diplomatic incident. He needed time to decompress and build himself up for the trip back home.

'If we ever get back home.' Slavic mused to himself as he swallowed more of the liquid courage he so desperately clung to. The distinct whoosh sound of a door opening caught his attention as three individuals entered his 'new' captain's quarters.

"So what's the status..hic...report." Slavic asked. The two officers and one scientist could all see his tipsy phase had left him long ago. Wondering if he would remember this meeting later much less issue effective orders, they soldiered on.

"Sir, this isn't helpful." Toshi said.

"On contraire . The captains just partaking in his peoples national past time In fact we should all join in and relax, too many days working and all that!" said as though discussing the weather. The two weapons and commutations officers blanched. Galan had promised to 'help' them with the captain, not drive him further into inebriated oblivion.

"Damn it Galan!" Riker's Chastised.

"Oh relax , the captains enjoying himself and we've spent the last several hours working ourselves to the bone. Isn't that right captain?"

"Galan. You and I don't like each other..hic..and I'll be happy the day you return to the soil. But sure why not." Slavic clumsily slides three bottles of Orlosian finest ale to his three guests.

"I don't drink sir." Toshi said as he slide the beer back to his captain before taking a seat opposite him. The others meanwhile grabbed seats on a nearby bunk.

"Come again Toshi?" Slavic asked in confusion.

"I was born and raised on New Feros sir. They have a very strict interpretation about keeping oneself pure for the creator."

"Fuck em."

"Excuse me sir?" Toshi asked not understanding his captain's sudden change in mood.

"Fuck em. You've just lost countless friends and crew mates aboard this..." He raised his glass and waved it around as if pointing out the room, "fine piece of federation hardware. The cardinals on your world don't know your out here. And you know what Toshi?"

"What sir?"

"Even if they did know you were here and drinking until you couldn't sit straight, they'd probably offer to buy you another round. Hell they'd throw in all the dope on Feros with half the hookers on mars to boot."

"Might wanna pass on that last one Toshi, its just dreadful not having alcohol in your system when those bald maidens come at you. So unlady like with their pale complexion and lack of hair." Galan supplied with a grin as he took a swig of the ale.

"Never did understand the Helghasts aversion to drinking. Some crap about machines not wanting to sink to the lowest levels of humanity or some such. Kinda slept through history class." Slavic said.

"I'm not sure I understand what either you or the doctor are referring to captain." Toshi said completely lost as to their train of thought.

"You helped take out three kobolian ships ensign Toshi. Your a bloody hero for the ages and I don't doubt for a minute the church on your world is going to look the other way. Besides your sect of our faith isn't so different, your planet just has a holey roller attitude when it comes to thinks that make life fun." Slavic said.

"Well...I guess it couldn't hurt."

"There's a good soldier! I was about to order you to drink that ale as it was. Anyway how is the ship doing?"

"Myself and Toshi have been running shifts with the crew repairing the ship as best we can. The shields are back up and our one lone cobra is flight worthy." Rikers said when it was clear from the grimace on Toshi's face that no reply was coming from him. Toshi had obviously never consumed alcohol before this moment.

"What about the pilot?" Slavic asked.

"Oh she's resting captain. Never you worry. Just drink the bubbly and know that she'll be prepped and ready to go in a day or so to scout the system we were thrown into." Galan said.

"You don't have an off button do you doc." Slavic stated rather then asked.

"Its actually a very interesting situation captain. Most of the crew just needed a little medi-gel on the wounds and presto, right as rain. But out there beyond Bellona's corridors is a system bustling with unexplored planets." Galan said enthusiastically.

"What kind of planets are talking about doc."

"Well captain. The planet we're currently orbiting in what I've decided to christen the Sparta system, is an unusually large terrestrial world with a trace atmosphere of methane and ammonia. Oh and its frozen solid with temperatures of minus 136 degree's Celsius."

"Great so we've found plutoria's larger cousin. Suppose you've named it as well then?"

"I wanted to Tundria but I lost the bet between myself and ."

" I thought Altaaya would be fitting sir. I know my cousin will be thrilled back home when she hears there's a planet five times the size of helghan named after her." Riker said with a shit eating grin plastered upon his face. The ale was clearly having the effect of relaxing the stressed crew mates who between them would spend the coming days investigating this system.

"If its alright with you captain, the next planet closest to the systems sun looks habitable. If not for seasoned terran pioneers then surely the humorless helghast will set up shop. I was thinking of calling it.."

"Toshi picks."

"Excuse me?" Galan asked flummoxed at the interruption. It appeared the captain was orlosian through and through as he'd suddenly sparked with coherence Galan thought surely gone by his captain alcoholic escapades.

"You named the system doctor and Riker named the planet outside our view ports so the next world we investigate will be named by ensign Toshi. He's earned that and more. So what about it ensign, what shall we call the planet we stretch our legs on?"

"Edolus." Toshi blurted out drunkenly. He was clearly tipsy.

"What kind of a name is that?" Galan scoffed.

"After my pet Varren back home doctor."

" To hell with it, I'll jump on this bandwagon too. Doctor I want the planet next in line after Altaaya and Edolus to be named Tremanre."

"And what pray tell good captain is the origin of that...interesting name." Galan said as he drank away the sorrow at being outwitted in the grand planet christening binge. Least he had the system though.

"It was my online handle for all my planet-net gambling. We Orlosians gotta make the most of our hard earned skills."

The four men drank heavily. Tomorrow they'd use one of their shuttles to explore Edolus. With everything they'd just been through. What could possibly go wrong?

Thanks to everyone who's reviewed and kept the story going. Thanks Syed for the helpful hints on ship classification. I think we can all see where the outing on Edolus is heading . Don't worry the colonials reaction to the Mass Relay will be in the next chapter update. I worked all night to get this written up and out the door and hope you enjoyed it. Merry Christmas.


	18. Chapter 18

**COLONIAL MASS RELAY - BATTLESTAR GALACTICA**

Nash Aetos walked down the corridors of the Galactica. Ensign Rogers well in tow.

"Give it to me straight Rogers, who's dead and who's left?"  
"Well sir, The Hermes took one hell of a beating and the Heracles was obliterated by the blast."  
"Numbers Roger."  
"Of course sir. Sorry sir. The rough estimate is all hands went down with the ship so Fifty-Six hundred."  
"Frak." Nash said as he took the reports from Rogers as they approached the captains quarters.  
"Any word on the new guest we hauled aboard."  
"I wouldn't know, the knuckle draggers took the ship and the Doc took its pilot."  
"What about the destroyer-star that survived this encounter?"  
"Captain Johanson of the Titania is en route aboard a starbird. Rear admiral Andrew Ankers is aboard a raptor as well."  
"Looks like Galactica's gonna turn into a conference hall. Frak, I hate these meetings. Ok, tell Ankers and Johanson to meet me in my quarters when they arrive. And for gods sake, make sure coddle and chief engineer have as much info ready to present as possible."

"Will do sir."  
With that Roger left Galactica's captain to prepare for the arrival of his fellow travelers in the colonial fleet.

Fifteen minutes later...

Nash heard a knock on his door. "Come in." With that the latch turned and the door opened to reveal Rebecca Johanson.  
"Captain Rebecca Johanson reporting sir."  
"Relax Johanson. We're both captain here, I just have bigger guns." He smiled hoping to offset her clearly downcast mood. He'd read her file and probably knew the reason for her red eye's.

"Thank you sir." Johanson said as she took seat across from his desk.  
"Ambrosia ?"  
"We're on duty sir."  
"After the clusterfrak you've been through I think you deserve one drink."  
After a moment of hesitation she nodded and Nash poured a small shot for her. She downed it in one go.  
"Thank you Captain Aetos."  
"No problem. So I've been looking over some of the reports your people sent over and before the Rear admiral comes storming in here I'd like to get your side of the story."

"My side of the story ?" Johanson said questioningly.  
"I've looked at the reports and you mentioned aliens. If that's the case Johanson your going to need all the help you can get convincing Quorum to take precautions."  
"We'd been running a patrol when Hermes sent a distress call. Myself and Captain Davidson were only one's within jump range so we jumped."

"A little risky." Nash said.  
"It was Davidson's call to make. I know you might not understand this Aetos

"Call me Nash"

"I know you might not understand this Nash but Davidson and I were students of Brenik's. He taught us up until the war started and then he got pulled away and we rose up the ranks as ships came into being and spots opened up."

"I remember those early days. The Cylons crippled most of our defences and snatched the BaseStars out from under us. That was one mess I don't mind forgetting."

"We can't forget that sir. We'd just be walking into another trap when they come back!"  
"Simmer down Johanson. Armistice or no, we're not gonna get thumped like that again. You know you remind me of a rookie viper pilot I know, maybe I'll introduce you two before we leave."

"Leave?"  
"Well eventually we're gonna get called away. Most of the crew have relatives they haven't seen in months ,some years. Same goes for you. Please continue."

"Breniks transmission said they were under attack by a single vessel of unknown origne and taking damage. First thought was it had to be a base star. Maybe something the cylon had been holding back."

"Makes sense."

"We arrived a few kilometers away from Hermes. What we saw was..."  
"Was what captain?"  
"Unnatural. Small ship maybe no bigger then a frigate or core-star was holding off the Hermes. No. That's not right, it was slaughtering them, Nash."  
"Brenik had a battlestar, identical to my own and barely three years out of dock. Then you two come along and its a battlestar plus two destroyer-stars against a core-star. Should have been a slaughter alright...for them. Why didn't you engage the enemy along with the Heracles?"  
"Davidson ordered me to stay back and send a distress call to bring the calvary. The ship had some kind of cannon that was just beating into the battlestar. Again and Again. Flight pods, vipers, starbirds. It all was just blinking out."

"In your report you said the Heracles and the Hermes both laid down withering fire. The computers we pulled off the Hermes point to Brenik firing nukes at the alien ship. By the way, why did he label them aliens?"

"Davidson said something about Brenik receiving transmissions that weren't in colonial standard. They might have been declaring war or maybe our vipers spooked them. I wasn't there so I can't say for sur. All I know is the aftermath sir."

"What kind of armor was it using?"  
"Again Nash, I have no idea. Some of the com chatter from the vipers before the aliens unleashed their own nuke were filled with talk of a strange aura around the enemy ship. Said it deflected everything they threw at it."  
"Did they have vipers of their own?"  
"I didn't see any on dradis Nash but I'll bet if they'd had them they would have cleaned the floor with our vipers."  
"It just so happens they did use fighers. I have one being examined right now. A rookie pilot spotted it on a pass."

Johanson's eye's grew large.

"Before you and the rear admiral inspect my pilot's catch, I'd like to know more about the battle."  
"Of course. Well the Heracles went in guns blazing. I guess it scared the aliens off because they ran for that circular structure that you see outside."

"So that structure is probably their gateway to where ever in the river of sticks they come from.'  
"Probably. But they weren't done yet. Before they bugged out they left a nuke we failed to pick up. It exploded and the Heracles was utterly destroyed. Still can't figure out why Brenik didn't make it out."

"I know its hard for you to lose them but best we can tell the multiple hull ruptures allowed radiation and blast damage to reach the crew. Most of em died quickly. Structurally the battlestar is still mostly intact...minus the hangars and hundreds of point defences."

a phone range. Nash went to answer it as Johanson digested the news.

"Captain Aetos here."  
"Sir Rear Admiral Ankers is on his way up. He's a little peeved you didn't meet him personally on the flight deck."  
"Well I'm sure our find and all the invaluble information Johanson's gathered will more then suffice."

Nash hung up the phone.

"Thanks."  
"Don't mention it. Now lets go greet the savior of Caprica before his ego deflates."  
A smile crossed Johanson's face.  
"Can't have that can we sir."

Five Minutes later

"This can't be it" Johanson exclaimed.

"I have to agree with captain Johanson, Aetos. The reports and everything you told me on the way down here had me ready to see a cutting edge fighter craft. This is a pile of junk. The cylons wouldn't even bother with it."

"With respect sir. We've only found a damaged craft. We don't know what the whole package is capable of."

"We'll see. Chief Engineer Aldara, what's your take on this fighter craft."  
"permission to speak freely?"  
"Go ahead."  
"I think its a pile of junk. Might have been a worthy opponent before the cylons got their circuits crossed but it would have trouble against a starbird sir. We found a unused missile attached under the wing sir and its got nothing on the HD-seventy."

Johanson jumped into the discussion interrupting the engineer as she was about to go into a series of other difficencies.

"When we jumped in, the Hermes had lost half her vipers to enemy fire."  
"Captain I know what you saw, I've seen the same reports and looked at the dradis data before coming over here. Things don't add up and I want to know why. Chief engineer Aldara is going to help me find the answer. Please continue."

"As I was saying sir, the enemy fighter probably had a wingspan at least four times that of our vipers. The engines aren't anything to write home about, they'd make a starbird pilot puke their guts out trying to navigate."

"So they their engines are substandard along with their weapons?"  
"Not exactly. Their manuevering must be piss poor sir but engines look surprisingly sophisticated, the main one anyway. I'd love to get some more time with broken gal and see what made her tick."

"I'll see that captain Aetos gives you all the time you need. After your done we'll box it up and send it off to Picon for further study. I'll expect a thorough report for each of us by tomorrow afternoon Chief Aldara."

"It would be my pleasure sir." Aldara said, a twinkle in her eye the only indication of how eager she was to get at the crafts engines and explore the strange ship to her heart content.

"If you'll follow me Admiral Ankars, Captain Johanson. I believe you'll want to meet this birds proud pilot." Nash said leaving his Chief engineer to play with her new toy.

Sometime later

"It's human!" Ankars and Johanson both say in shock.  
"And we have a winner. Who have you brought into my morgue this time Nash?"  
"Admiral Ankars, Captain Johanson. This is Frank Cottle our chief medical officer aboard Galactica."  
"I didn't know you tolerated that kind of tone aboard the ships you command, Aetos."  
"Its not Nash's fault. I've just missed out on most of my kids life, little bastard takes to medicine like a moth to flame but swears he'll never follow in my foot steps. So between that and all the death I tend to get a little cranky when the captain here has me poke around a dead guy for hours on end."

" Well what have you found captain. I'm sure the admiral and your captain want to know, I know I do." Johanson spoke up narrowly averting an argument between the two men.

"Your looking at a perfectly fit 45 year old male. No cancers or diseases of any kind. Its the damndest thing I've ever seen."

"Excuse me but did you just say he was Forty-Five ? he looks about Twenty-four at the most!" Ankars said.

"I hope I look that good in a few years. My wife would love it that's for sure." Nash said as he peered at the corpse laid out on the table before them.

"I can't confirm anything until you bring a live one for me to poke and prod but there's something else. "

"What else did you find out about our _alien _guest." Nash asked.

"I took one of the eye's out and examined the retina, if I'm right then this man when he was alive and kicking had somewhere between Twenty-Five and Twenty-Six vision. The normal human typically shoots for Twenty-Twenty, maybe Twenty-Twelve with a operation on the black market."

"So he's disease free, has the eye's of a damn bird and could probably outlive us by a hundred years. That about right Doc?" Nash asked.

"Listen Captain. I'm not going to pull things out of my ass, I don't have the equipment to dig around his cellular structure. You'd have to go to Caprica, maybe Picon for that kinda thing."

"Captain Aetos I want you to have this body packed in ice or whatever the doctor can get to stop the decay. In one hour I want this body on the flight deck and loaded in a raptor. One of the core-star will jump back to Caprica with written authorization from myself to place it in the custody of a Research base we have there for this sort of thing."

"How are we prepared for anything remotely resembling this?"  
"If word of this leaks this room I'll personally see your all up against the wall." Ankars said before continuing.  
"Before the war, even before unification with the other colonies. Caprica ran a secret biological weapons program. Rumor has it that the spooks wanted an option available to the president of caprica and later on, the twelve colonies to use unconventional weapons in whatever conflicts popped up."

"All that secrecy really paid off against the cylons. Those toasters just hate the flu. Messes with their ability to breath and all that other stuff machines give two fraks about." Cottle sarcastically lamented.

"The irony isn't lost on me Doctor. What's important is that we have people there who have studied the human race on a cellular level. They'll tell us all we need to know."

"Glad we could make an old relic of the by gone days relevant Admiral." Nash said in good humor.

"I don't like the way you let some of your crew run around the Galactica Captain Aetos but you get results. I'll personally recommend you and Johanson for medals.

_**VALKYRIE **_

Shia and Teli Vas Noria sat alone in a room. Shia was the first to wake.

"my damn head. Feels like the morning after one too many at VIP"

"Whats the VIP?"

"Oh just my damn luck...your all the people to be stuck with." Shia chuckled. Tilting her head up she looked at the ceiling she noticed something odd. They seemed off somehow. Like they were too high. An Elcor wouldn't need a ceiling of this height...then again.."

"What's that supposed to mean you blue tet." Teli Vas Noria asked, anger creeping into her voice.

Shia's eye's narrowed. "We wouldn't be in this mess if you hadn't managed to get the attention of who ever the godess is holding us. I want to say mercs but the machines are too exotic...like something your people would dream up"

"Don't be ridiculous. My people have spent centuries scrimping by on the hand outs of the citadel while the geth sit beyond the veil. They took everything from us and no quarian would ever build anything close to them. Even if they did, these aren't quarian made."

"Self aware killer robots sure sound like your thing Noria. Maybe your people just lost their touch." Shia smirked.

"No. Your wrong! And even if a quarian built those things why don't they have shields ? Or proper weapons. weaponized portable lasers would take decades of research and resources my people don't have."

"Weaponized lasers?"

"() and his marines were all cut down by these alien machines. I saw whole sections of my friends bodies simply burn away like they'd been touched with (). That wasn't even the worst of it."

"Laser guns fits the credit bill pretty damn high. I swear, you see a little firefight and you think its a cataclysmic event. I've been killing for two centuries now and I've seen my share of gore filled battles. " A smile crept across her face.

" I was on illium this one time, huge explosions and bodies all around. This merc spots me and fires a rocket my way. Thought I was gone for sure until I spotted a hanar hiding behinding a crate. Stupid jelly wasn't even out of sight."

"what did you do?"

"I used my trusty biotics to pull jelly into the path of the missile and boom. Pink tentacles and hanar organs covered the floor all around!"

"Your sick."

"Bite my blue ass you bottom feeder. Your daddy's not gonna bail you out, Deniks dead and so is any chance we have of getting out."

"You don't know that. I bet the admiralty board is forming a rescue team even as we speak." Teli Vas Noria said as she crossed her arms at her midsection."

"That is highly unlikely" A third voice added.

Both Shia and Teli Vas Noria turned, shocked to discover the source of the voice. A purple alien looking creature stared at them. It might pass for an asari...from a distance.

"Great a VI. Now I just need to use my omni tool and maybe I can hack into the ships systems and find out where we are!"

"Don't be stupid. I doubt one VI is gonna allow you to hack into the ship. Welcome to try though." Shia said getting up to get a closer look.

She moved a few steps to it and then turned to Teli Vas Noria.

"Ugly looking thing but lets see if we can get some info off..."

"Who are you calling ugly?" Cortana seethed.

"Its self aware!" Teli Vas Noria said taking several steps back until she was up against the wall.

"Why yes I am. It appears our communications officer was correct after all. "

"About"

"Using the combined processing power of myself and other helghast aboard this ship to piece to together parts of your language." Cortana replied.

Shia pointed a finger at the AI. "Ok you rogue VI bitch I want to know who your employers are and when we're getting out of this prison."

Cortana looked at Shia with eye's that radiated confusion and bewilderment.

"She can't understand you Shia. She doesn't have a neuro implant to translant your language into her own."

"But she understand you just fine!"  
"Only because the VI is familar with my people's langauge. You've got a better chance communicating with it if you pick up a few quarian words...unless they capture more asari."

"The majority of recorded communications between yourselves and those like you were in the language I am currently using. Are you saying there are different aliens besides you two?"

Looking at Cortana and then Shia, Teli Vas Noria decided she would protect the migrant fleet as best she could.

"Yes. My people are known as the quarians. We're leading members of the citadel council. A vast and powerful galactic government. I just so happen to be the daughter of a powerful quarian admiral so it would be unwise to keep us prisoner. Unless you want my father to bring hundreds of ships against your employers."

Cortana looked at her for a few seconds before speaking.

"I do not understand much of what you have said. The term council or 'Rat' as my people say is a meeting of many quarians. Are the tet also on this galaktischrat?" Cortana said motioning to Shia.

"Did that fucking VI just call me a bitch?" Shia said fuming. It was bad enough that Teli was shoveling a load of crap down the VI's mouth about the council but being shut out of the conversation was grating on her nerves.

"Relax Shia. It doesn't know what you are and its assuming your people are called bitches. Not far off actually." Teli grinned.

"Why you spoiled brat! Alright fine you want to know what I am you stupid VI? I'll tell you. I'm an Asari. A-S-A-R-I!" Shia shouted all the while pointing to herself.

" Is your blau tet not pleased with something I have said ? Because I can come back another time if you wanna take your chances with the Zaku."

"What did she just say to you Teli?" Shia asked.

"She wants to know if she should leave and come back later. Said we could take our chances with something called the zaku. Might be the name of the species that built the her." Teli said.

"About damn time we dealt with the one's holding us prisoner instead of you playing quarian make believe with this VI of theirs. Tell it we'll take our chances with its makers unless you want to keep playing story teller. "

"Would you just shut up Shia! I'm the only one who can talk to it and if I wanted to I could have convinced them to just airlock your blue ass out the door. Sometimes your such a damn Bosh, honestly."

Turning to Cortana, Teli decided to see how deep the thresher maw's tunnel really was.

" I didn't catch all that but I am sure you told the tet about the zaku. Yes?"

"She and I would both like to meet your builder."

"My what?"

"one that put you together." Teli added as she demonstrated interlocking her hands.

"Oh. I was not built I was given life."

"What did it just say?"

" It mentioned being given life but said it wasn't built."  
"Could be trying to say that it was born. Whole galaxy's gone crazy so I guess a VI's thinking they slip between the loins of other VI isn't shocking. Next we'll have krogan pacifists." Shia sarcastically responded.

"Are you saying you were kurlet"

"kurlet?"  
"Its when two quarians like each other and make a new quarian." Teli tried to explain. The rush of blood to her face was fortunately hidden beneath her mask. She'd yet to join suites with another and she feared she wouldn't have an opportunity much less a family if this kept up. She just had to frighten her captor into letting her go.

"Ok since we're clearly not understanding each other I think I'll give you some time alone with Dostya and the zaku."

With that Cortana winked out of existance. Shia and Teli both looked around for some sign of a projector but found none.

"Well I'm pretty sure you fucked that up. Even an AI can't stand your spoiled ass for more then a few minutes."

"I was making progress, it just said it was Geburt. I think it might have meant born, I was trying to get more info out of it. Don't worry though we'll talk to these 'zaku' and convince them our people...well mostly my people are more then they can handle and they'll set us free."

"And then what?"

"What do you mean and then what?"  
"Hello, Citadel to Teli. We're in some room the goddess knows where and you want them to just throw us out to fend for ourselves?"

"Relax. I've sent a message to my father and the Batarians."  
"What the ancestors are they going to do about any of this ? Denik's pissed them off and I doubt the migrant fleet can pay their fee to come gallivanting in to rescue you." Shia said.

"Would you just..."

Clank.

"What now?" Shia said annoyed.

Clank. Clank...clank. The noises came closer. The sound of heavy footsteps became discernable. Teli became fearful as she remembered the one being capable of making those noises.

"Its them!"  
"Who's 'them'?" Shia asked obviously not understanding Teli's unease.  
"The one's that killed my crew, the strange geth are here to kill us." Teli said as her hands began to fidget nervously.

Two large mechanical beings entered the room. Their single eye's zero in on the two captives. The Zaku II's lowered their rifles which had been trained on Shia and Teli Vas Noria.

"If you flashlight heads think I'm going out without a fight then your in for a real treat." Shia said as she gathered her biotic energy into a force push. Fully intent on slamming the two mechs into the wall before hitting them with stasis.

"nein." an unseen voice sounded authoratively.

Shia's whole body was rocked with small electrical shocks.

"gaaah. What the goddess did you do to me."

"Quarian. Tell your tet that if she keeps doing what she is doing then wir shall end the tet."  
"Who are you? Are you the zaku? I already told your VI that your in for a world of pain if you..."  
"Enough Spielen!" Dostya yelled.

A shock similar to that which had brought pain to Shia now engulfed Teli Vas Noria.  
"You breath air because we allow it."  
"You will talk because we demand it."

Dostya now grabbed Teli by the neck and lifted her into the air as if to choke the life from her. Her fingers closed around Teli's throat.

"You killed many helghast. Many of mein friends." Dostya said in anguish. " Und yet." Dostya dropped Teli on the ground. "The kaptain wants you live and tell us your secrets."

"I already told you. My people are on the council and we..." More small spasms came to accompany the electricution.

"We have see many of the council members named. Quarian and council are not used in the same talk. Quarian talk is salvage. Quarian talk is weak. No talk of Tet." With this Dostya roughly picked up the weakened shia and forced her against the wall. A moment later she punched the asari in the gut."

"Stupid bitch. I didn't do anything to you, its Teli Vas Noria you want to.." Another punch, this time breaking asari's left arm.

Dostya didn't want to hurt the blue alien. In truth she knew she should be acting more like Cortana but then again Cortana had been _lied_ to. The quarian thought she was so smart to try and trick the oldest machine race in the known galaxy.

She'd had the containment room bugged with small listening devices, something Yuri had mentioned might help. She'd found mentioning of this council in the data-banks of the ship and on what she could only assume were personal logs.

Several words had also been deciphered while she'd thrown Cortana a bone here and there. It was time for good cop bad cop. She just hoped it didn't get too far.

Teli Vas Noria could only watch in horror as Shia's blood dripped from her lips.  
"Please stop! I'll tell you anything you want to know."  
"I've spoken words with you enough. I want the tet to talk." Dostya yelled at Teli.

Dostya pushed Shia up against a wall. Using one hand to hold her in place, she pulled back the other.

"What are you doing? She doesn't speak the same language." Teli said. Failing to realise that Dostya's speech was more broken then the VI she'd spoken with earlier.

"Nicht mehr sprechen mit ihnen. Sie sprechen durch sie oder sie wird sterben."

Teli's lack of reaction betrayed her failure to understand the helghast language."

"I am done speaking words with you. Tet will speak through you."

"What the goddess is this psycho saying to you Teli?" Shia asked fear evident as Dostya's arm cannon unfolded from beneath her skin.

"She wants information from you. She want me to translate."  
"No need." Shia said turning back to her tormentor.

"You want information you stupid bitch! Then you can start by calling me ASARI!" Shia yelled.  
Her eye's becoming black and an odd glow encompassing both herself and Dostya.

The next thing Teli knew both of them were in a heap on the floor. The two machines in the room with them had their guns raised and pointed at her.

Several masked helghast entered the room. Teli wondered if they were the same as the one that had been interrogating Shia.

Before she dwell on the matter a boot to the side of her helmet sent her world into darkness.

_**Batarian Pirate Fleet - Unknown Location **_

Valan, a batarian crime boss in charge of a vast network of agents and ships looks at his omni tool with barely contained rage. He'd intended to use the payment Denik gave him to celebrate his recent marriage. His omni tool told a different story.

"Valan, it looks like that bulbous scum cheated us out of payment. Our contacts on Camala haven't received the payment or heard a word from Denik Industries."

"No chartok. It appears I underestimated that vol. Crafty bastard made it off with all his winnings and we've lost good men for nothing." Valan closed his four eye's. A lower being would have gone off swearing into their quarters and plotted vengeance. Valan's body paint showed him to be a vastly superior man then that.

"We'll find Denik eventually and when we do, we'll gut him like fish. Until then..."  
"Valan, we've got a transmission from one of the quarians aboard Denik's ship!"

This was new. Maybe he wouldn't have to hold off on getting his wife a trophy after all. In a year the son of Valan the Vicious, Balak would be born into one of the most prestigious clans on Camala.

"What's it say?"  
"Its from the quarian admirals daughter, (). Says most of her team was killed and need rescuing."

"I'm not about to go scouring the galaxy for some quarian. We might as well try finding a hundred females among a salarian hatchery."

A another all be it lower cast member of his crew spoke up.  
"I wish no disrespect Valan, I may be able to pinpoint the location of her omni's message."  
"Then get on fruzal. This time we take everything. Ships and whatever Denik found on that accursed geth ship."

" Its still there."  
"What do you mean Fruzal?"  
"The transmissions origin is in the same sector we left the derelect geth ship for Denik to salvage."

His second in command Chartok now posed a question.  
"So we blast the mercs holding them into space and board the ship before they can escape. Might play well over the net. Batarians being portrayed as criminal slavers is getting on my nerves Val."

"Forget the net. We're leaving the council in the dark about this, unless you want a specter crawling around Camala."

"What's the worst that could happen. Their not invincible."  
"Just for that Chartok, you lead the boarding action to retrieve the high cast quarian. Their resources may be scarce, but their technical prowess is well worth every credit."

" I'll supervise this rescue myself. Tell _Thessia's butcher_ and _Red Sand _to head for the relay."

_"_Right away Valan." Chartok said as his head bent to the left in reverence to his bosses superior cast. Sometime he wished he could wear such elaborate color if only for the way he'd be looked at back onOmega.

Within a half hour, the three batarian ships made their way toward the local mass relay. Valan's cruiser and two frigate escorts could scarcely imagine the surprise awaiting them on other end of their short journey.


	19. Chapter 19

**Artemis Tau – Sparta system – ****Edolus – Same time. **

"Well this looks inviting. Falling debris really brings out the ominous hints of darkness in the otherwise yellow atmosphere." Dr. Galan retorted.

"Now doctor, Toshi couldn't have known his first crack at planetary exploration was gonna yield a..."

"You can say it sir. I won't get mad. This place is a hellhole and we both know it."  
"I wasn't going to say that Toshi, besides you're just hung over from your first night of orlosian ale. Rikers and Peterson will take point while you bring up the rear."

"Glad to be considered and all sir but I really hope I never have to drink again. My head's pounding and everything you say hurts my ears when my helmet's audio receives it over the squad network."

"I'm sure the captain and good doctor will have more then enough drinks between them when it's all over ensign. Now seeing as how you named this world, what direction do you think we should go?" Rikers asked.

Toshi put his finger in the air and felt the admittedly strong winds against his frame before suddenly lowering it and pointing toward a small mountain.

"A mountain? You let him pick our direction with what must be hundreds of hills and mounds abounding yet he picks a mountain?" Galan asked.

"Well now I know drinking wasn't the best route to take. Doc, you need to toughen up and ensign Toshi, I'll advice in the future you start with hills or a nice meadow before working your way up to mountains." Slavic said.

"I'm a man of science not a damn pioneer captain. There must be something else I can do!" Galan whined.

Captain Slavic observed the person that sat atop his personal shit list. As much as he hated to admit it, the man was too probably too scrawny to be roughing it up the mountain in front of them.

"Fine. New plan then."

"Oh thank you so much captain! I knew you were a man of reason. Had my doubts but I suppose everyone's wrong sometimes." Galan said in relief.

Slavic's eye twitched for a moment before he was struck with an ingenious plan to get rid of the meddlesome doctor...at least temporarily.

"Private Peterson will accompany you as you explore the area straight ahead while we head right, up this mountain."

"But what if there are locals? I could be skewered alive."

"I think we can all see that nothing worth talking about lives here Galan. Now either you huff it up the mountain or take a stroll to parts to unknown at the risk of being the first terran to find alien life." Slavic said

Galan thought it over before he spoke his next words.

"Alright then. Since your military bearing is simply too much for the poor uncivilized beings that might dwell here, I shall under take the monumental task myself. Why they'll take one look at this enviro suit and be silenced with sheer awe."

With that Galan began to walk in the direction that seemed to lead out of whatever valley they'd found themselves in. Peterson jogged to catch up to the sudden brazen pace of the good doctor.

"Are you sure that's wise captain?"  
"Rikers, with Peterson watching his back I doubt he's in any danger. Fools probably gonna name whatever he find after himself anyway, might as well be a mountain of useless dirt."

Moments later.

"Lets stop here a second and catch our breaths. I haven't climbed a mountain in years."  
"Thought Orlos was full of em sir?" Toshi asked as he leaned against a wall of solid rock.

"It's got a few. Even have a few stories about dragons and demons residing within their caverns."  
"Really sir?"  
"Yes but its all bull. More interesting then this..."

"I found something!" Rikers said from several meters away. Clearly the man had wandered off a ways while Toshi and Slavic had a chat.

Slavic and Toshi gathered their packs before approaching the spot Rikers was crouched in.  
"What have you got Rikers?"  
"I'm not sure but I think I found a lithium deposit"  
"No way! Are you sure? Captain if that grayish mineral is actually lithium then all we'd need is some H2O and we have the perfect set up for a hydrogen production facility."

"Well I don't see any water around for miles ensign Toshi, then again I didn't read the giant pile of documents sent me over the ships network. Could always build a lithium battery plant, would cut down on the monopoly the helghast have over the market."

"Why would we need the batteries sir? Beyond a few consumer goods, don't most modes of transit run fuel cells, including the helghast?"

"What the captain is trying to say is that the fuel cells are dangerous when they explode, sometimes whole buildings come down. Helghan's wrecked so they don't mind using a combination of lithium and fuel cells for power sources in the field. Their fusion reactors actually generate all the power planet side."

"First of all Rikers. I'm surprised you didn't need to breath through that long winded explanation and secondly. It's a pile of rock in some dirt until news reaches Feros."

"Well then let's see what else we can find captain I bet there's lots of minerals just like Lithium sitting around just waiting for us to dig em up." Toshi said excitedly.

"Great Rikers, Just great. Now he sounds like a mini Galan minus all the egotism." Slavic said as he made to massage his forehead before realizing his visor made that impossible.

Sure enough the group continued on their trek until they came upon a truly spell bounding sight.

"Is that..."  
"An alien body. You bet your rations it is." Slavic said.  
" Should we you know...investigate."  
"It could be resting! Just waiting for us to drop our guard captain."  
"Toshi Where did all the excitement you had a few minutes ago wander off to?"  
"Old faithful took its place sir."  
"And what might 'old faithful' be?"  
"A soldiers sense of self preservation sir."

"Oh for the love of the maker. I'll investigate this myself; you two just keep your weapons pointed at it in case it decides to go all zombie on us." Captain Slavic said. "Honestly, what kind of worms do you expect us to pop open here?"

Slowly Slavic approached the clearly decomposed body. Signs pointed to the elements having preserved the alien's body somewhat. Its white and orange suit clearly shown in the light of Sparta's sun.

Slowly he put his weapon down within arms reach. Taking one hand he gently rolled the body over to find a small head with two large eye sockets. The eye's themselves must have been rather large to say nothing of the two horn like appendages that clearly dominated the beings head. If he had to guess he'd say it resembled the amphibians found on Helghan. Though he'd only ever seen them in net-vids.

"It's alright boys, its dead. Looks bipedal and thin as rail. Could take the bastard out bare handed in a fight, that's for sure."

"Think there are more of them around sir? What if he's got friend that come looking for him."  
"I'm no doctor, thank god. But I'd say he's been away from the land of the living quit a long time. Our actual doctors sure to be thrilled...maybe even occupied enough to give me some peace and quit." Slavic said hopefully.

"Any weapons?" Rikers asked

"None that I can find but the suit looks interesting. You got a stretcher on you?"  
"Yeah buts not really meant to haul people, figured we'd find a big rock or two and haul it back to the shuttle."  
"Well we've found more then rocks and that guys worth a hundred...no make that a thousand times his weight in lithium. So snap it together and let's haul this guy back to the shuttle so Galan can fawn over something besides the solar system we're in." Slavic said.

"As you wish captain. Come on ensign, lets get this fossil out of here before we find something else."

"What else could possibly be more important then..."

"Help! This is calling captain Slavic. I need immediate rescue." 's panicked voice echoed through the squad network that linked all their suits via radio.

"Calm down doctor! Can you give us a fix on your location?"

"About Five hundred meters to your southwest. I'm sending up a flare now." With that a single flare shot into the sky barely noticeable unless you were looking for it.

"Galan you idiot. That flare was barely visible. Just send me a fix on your location over the squad net. The Bellona can triangulate your position relative to my own and we'll get their faster."

"Ok. How silly of me, its away captain. You should see it on your visor momentarily." Galans communicated embarrassment clear in his voice.

Sure enough Captain Slavic's visor displayed Galans fix position exactly Five-hundred and twelve meters to his Southwest.

"Alright we're on our way but I need you to tell me what happened. Why didn't Peter contact me?"  
"Peter's dead."  
A brief silence followed as Slavic digested that news. He'd meant for this to be a routine scouting mission to check out an unexplored world and boldly go where someone had obviously gone before.

'I can't even do that without one of my crew dying.' Slavic thought morosely.

"We found the body of an alien Dr. Was Peter killed by thin alien with large eye's wearing an environmental suite?"

"Are you daft! There weren't any aliens just one really big...monster. It came out of the ground and just spit some sort of saliva all over the major. We were thirty feet away when it happened. It cut through the suit like it wasn't even there!"

"Alright we're on our way. You just lay low and don't draw attention to yourself. Are you armed?"

"Of course I'm armed! You don't go gallivanting around strange planets without a little insurance at your side. I shot few rounds off at it but my M3 pistol might as well be shooting pebbles."

"Ok. Lay low and conserve ammunition. We're coming to get you." Slavic said.

"Alright boys. Leave the corpse and any non-essential gear here. It'll only slow us down. Rikers, I want your M82 off your back and at the ready pronto. Toshi, you'll use your M3 to defend myself and but stay a good distance away from the action."

"What exactly are we up against captain?" Toshi asked.

"I don't know ensign but I'm damn sure going to find out. Now lets hustle people, we've got a mad doctor to haul out of the fire!"

A few minutes later.

"Look sir I see him he's just standing out there up against the patch of rocks. Hey doc where's the fire?" Toshi asked over the squad net.

"Shut up! Don't talk, don't even take another step. It's waiting for you to slip up just like Peter and I did." Galan said in fear.

"Doc, what's waiting and why is one of my crew dead."  
"It...It...It's underground. Came out of no where...it's like some giant worm but like nothing you've ever seen. Your weapons won't work, mine sure as hell didn't."

"Give some damn credit Galan. Riker's got a M82 assault rifle with a few grenades just waiting to bring the pain. Now where exactly underground is this worm?"

"Haven't you been listening captain! It's under the damn ground and your weapons won't work because before he died, Peter thought the exact same thing your thinking. Unloaded a whole magazine from his own M82 and you know what? It did jack all against that worm."

"What does this worm look like Galan? Is it the size of a person? Does it have friends?"

"Friends? The beast that slew Private Peterson was the size of two three story house!"

"Shit. Ok you just stay where you are and we'll think of something. Ok?"  
"Well I sure as hell aren't moving am I! It tracks you based on the vibrations you make walking on the ground. So you'd be much inclined to stay on those rocks and radio a shuttle."

"Not going to happen Galan. If we stay here or wait for a shuttle you could slip up and get eaten by this giant worm of yours and I've lost one person too many today as it is. So sit tight and shut up!"

Silence followed before Slavic cut off communication.

"Rikers you see that patch of dirt about thirty meters out?"  
"Yeah".  
"I want you to shoot a grenade at that spot when I give the order. Am I clear?"  
"Crystal clear captain."  
"Toshi I want you to get to a higher elevation and provide support fire. Think you can do that?"  
"Yes sir. I'm on it sir." Toshi said as he propelled himself on an adrenaline high up several rocks to a higher vantage point off a few meters to the south of his fellow terrans."

"On my mark...now!"

A loud _wump sound_ signaled the grenade round exiting through the M82's grenade launcher attachment. The spot of dirt Slavic had pointed out to Rikers became an explosion of sand.

Then it came. Like some nightmare made manifest, a seemingly unknown creature sprang form the sand with a loud roar. Stretching its arms or perhaps mandibles out in a raw show of power.

Just as quickly as it came the creature retreated back into the depths of the planet. Slavic wasn't fooled. There was no way in hell his team would make it out of here with a few pistols and a rifle. Bringing up his suites communications device, he redirected his radio to contact the Bellona.

"Bellona this is your captain. Please respond. Over."  
"We read you loud and clear captain. What do you need."

"We've encountered a hostile life form on the surface. Do we have any of my fighters operational?"

"That's a negative captain. Your Cobra's are not operational. I repeat, are not operational."  
"Damn!" Slavic swore. He hated this. He didn't have any heavy power to bring this son of bitch down. The kobolians had stuck it to him one last time from beyond the grave. Or at least he hoped they were in the grave.

The most down right insane plan ever to grace Anthony Slavic's twenty-five year old mind made its début at that moment. When all seemed lost he decided to roll the dice on the mother of all bets.

"Bellona. This captain Slavic. Are you still receiving? Over."

"We're still here captain. We can have a shuttle full of marines ready to depart in less then five minutes. You just..."

"No!" Slavic shouted before one of his crew could carry on with her suggestion. Bringing more boots on the ground would only fill more body bags.

"I need you to bring the Bellona into the atmosphere and make your way to my position. I want the main gun primed and ready. You'll know the target when you see it. But don't shoot directly at it. Shoot the ground at its base and pepper whatever else pops up with turret fire."

"Say again. You want us to shoot the experimental cannon at the ground within close proximity to your position? Please confirm."

"Yes! No matter who's in the vicinity of the target. When I give the order you are to use extreme prejudice to bring this hostile down. Understood?"

"Yes sir. Bringing the Bellona into atmosphere now. ETA two minutes."

"Copy that. Slavic out." Slavic ended the transmission only to re-open communication with Dr. Galan.

"Listen Galan. In little over a minute the Bellona's gone come charging in here to save our collective asses and I need you to run for this ridge when I rush out and distract the alien. Can you do that?"

"You mad! I'll do no such thing."

"Listen the hell up Doctor. I've had just about enough of your bullshit. Now you're a civilian and this is a military operation. You will follow my orders and you will survive by doing so, otherwise my team hikes it back to the shuttle and we leave your ass on Edolus. What's it gonna be?" Slavic barked.

"If this fails, I'm going to haunt you to the end of your days."  
"If this fails Galan, we'll all be conversing in the afterlife and since I can't stand your company I have no intention of allowing that to happen." Slavic said before cutting the transmission.

"Alright. Rikers I want you to put another round into that things hunting ground and this time aim to the left."

"On it Captain. Just what are you planning to do? We already got a look at that freak of nature." Rikers said.

"This is Bellona 30 seconds to approach."

"Now Rikers!"

Another wump sound filled the air as yet more sand was thrown up. Just as before the beast roared in fury but unlike before, Captain Anthony Slavic stepped into its parlor.

Drawing his pistol and running into the sand filled landscape between the his team and doctor Galan, Slavic peppered it with a few shots from his M3.

"Over here you big son of a bitch! Come on! I'm right here!" Slavic yelled.

The massive beast turned to face Slavic, its mandibles stretching back as its long blue tongue lashed out as if to snatch the captain.

Acting on instinct Slavic ran ahead at an angle, dodging the beasts acidic spit. Having avoided the fate of Private Peterson, he now looked back in horror as the beast retreated once more.

"Galan you've got to make a run for..."

Just as his head was turned the beast again emerged from the ground, throwing up sand and rock its claws and tongue shooting out to consume the captain.

"Shit." Slavic groaned as he put all his energy into again dodging death incarnate. With the beast's back turned to Galan, the doctor made a run for it. Sprinting for all he was worth, the doctor made half way before the beasts head turned upon him.

"Galan!" Slavic shouted. With that he unloaded his M3 into the worm's backside. He doubted it pierced the hide. His were not the only rounds to impact the creature. Riker's M82 sounded off as his chief weapons officer stared down his reflex scope and emptied his thirty round magazine into the giant, it's blood finally showing Slavic's team had done some measure of damage to its hardened skin.

Galan for his part had run behind the creature and was coming toward Slavic for god only knew what reason.

'What the hell is he doing?' Slavic thought in horror as he inserted another clip into his weapon.

The creature ignored both Galan and Slavic and focused on the greatest threat to its life. Rikers.  
Spewing acid in the officer's general direction after emitting a high pitched roar that Slavic now thought sounded more like a scream. Slavic could only watch as the spit came closer to Rikers before he seemed to disappear from view.

Fearing the worst He unloaded into the beast alongside ensign Toshi support fire. Galan raised his own pistol and fired weather in anger, fear or some combination.

Now the great butcher of men and surely aliens as well came at them. Pulling its mandible back, preparing to make all Slavic efforts in vain.

Meanwhile the roar of engines finally filtered through to Slavic's helmet. He barely had time to register that the Bellona had made it in time when a great explosion seemed to grow around the creature. His feet along with his entire body flew backward as strange liquids and entrails exploded from the ground. The surrounding mountains took on a distinctly gruesome appearance as the creatures lower body, hidden beneath the ground was brought to the surface in pieces.

Landing on his back. Slavic registered pain then relief. He was alive!

Struggling to overcome the pain surging through is body he righted himself and began to look around for signs of the doctor or Toshi.

"Anyone alive out there?"  
"This is Bellona to captain Slavic. Do you copy? Over."

'How could I forget the Bellona. My damn head's spinning like a top."

"This captain Slavic. I'm a little banged up but alive. Any Intel on the rest of my team?"

"Sir. We're detecting no life signs from Private Peterson."

"The creature you took out got him. Why didn't you wait for my signal?"  
"Didn't seem like you were gonna make it if we waited sir."

"Much Obliged Bellona. Can you get anything off Toshi or Galan?"  
"Yes sir. Vitals indicate that Galan is unconscious and ensign Toshi has an elevated heart rate, Riker's vitals are readying normal."

"Did you just say Rikers was alive?"  
"Yes sir. Why wouldn't he be?"

"Never mind that. I think we've killed the only one in the area but I want that shuttle full of marines you offered earlier. Along with some medics and a pilot to get the other shuttle off the planet. We've got extra terrestrial remains on a stretcher a ways back."

"Extra terrestrial?"  
"Alien, Bellona. The remains are alien and need to be examined as soon as the rest of my team is patched up."

"I'll pass it on to the marines, captain. Just sit tight and we'll pick you up."

Content that he'd be rescued and the others still lived. Slavic sat himself back down on his ass and vowed to never land any sandy planets for the rest of his days.

_**TWELVE COLONIES-CAPRICA**_

"To solidify peace in our time we have in good faith with the Cylons begun construction of a station where in a few short months both sides will begin yearly conferences to ensure war never again visits the colonies."

A reporter raises her hand.

"I'm Laura Robins with the Caprica Gazette. Can you tell us any details on the peace agreement signed with the Cylons that leads you to believe their genuinely looking for peace rather then simply regrouping?"

The question was pointed. The press hadn't been told any details of the agreement or the reasoning behind the Cylons sudden change of heart in the previous months.

"I can assure you and all your readers along with those watching at home that this peace will endure. The Cylons in their nearly twelve year conflict with us used many deadly weapons to visit harm upon our worlds. One such weapon where suicide cells of centurions known as annihilators, which would until the last as they could not be recalled."

The room was stunned and the reporters began to show apprehension. asked the president the question on everyone's mind.

"So the Cylons are continuing to kill our people even now?" She asked with fear lacing in her voice.

"No. I can say to you all here today with the fullest confidence. As secret negotiations began, initiated by the Cylons. Their representatives explained how they could not call these centurions back. They freely gave the locations of all annihilator bases and the strength of those forces."

"What became of them?"

"Thanks to our courageous men and woman in uniform, these bases have been utterly destroyed. No attacks will come from this band of die hard Cylon war mongers nor will their ships ever again plague our space. In return for allowing the rest of Cylon society a chance to find a place to call their own, they saved countless colonial lives with the information they turned over."

Satisfied by the president's responses, remained quiet. A Gemonese television reporter how ever was not so accommodating.

"Recently your Excellency, reports have come in involving the deaths of countless Gemonese aboard the battlestar Hermes that is rumored to have been lost in battle recently. Can you confirm or disprove these rumors?"

If the president was annoyed or shocked that such a revelation had filtered down through the ranks of the media, it did not show. With so many lost in peace time, the question was bound to come up.

"It is with great sadness that I tell you that those colonial soldiers did indeed perish in a battle worthy of Mars himself. An attack by one of the remaining Annihilator's Baseship's took the lives of not only Hermes crew but also that of the Heracles."

"What is being done to find this Baseship ?"

"There will be no search. The destruction of the last remnants mentioned earlier included this very ship. The combined might of two destroyer-star's and a battlestar proved too much for the Cylons as it has in the past. The Baseship in its final moments delivered massive amounts of ordinance into Hermes that refused to let it slip away."

"Are you saying that the battlestar Hermes was crippled ?"  
"The military tells me that the records indicate the Hermes could have survived with most aboard living to see another day. But that day would have come at the expense of allowing the enemy to slip away. Like all colonials in uniform they sacrificed their lives so that we may live and I will do my very best in the coming months and years to ensure that peace endures. So say we all."

"So say we all!" said the crowded room. The presidents moving speech had tugged at their heart strings. Most everyone knew someone who'd lost a loved one to the war and here the president was telling them how they'd been saved further pain by the usually derided Gemonese.

Moments later as the president stepped into the limo waiting outside the press conference the mood changed noticeably.

Without even an exchange of pleasantries with Admiral Jennings.

"How the frak did the press find out about that engagement so quickly?"  
"We've been at peace for a good few months now. The people aren't keeping secrets like they used to."  
"For your sake Admiral I hope you can reverse that trend."  
"I'll make it my top priority Madame president."

"It's bad enough some of the worlds don't like taking orders from a woman. If it wasn't for the war I don't think they'd give me another go. If we had more world like Picon and Caprica, the Cylons would never have lasted the twelve years they did." She said smugly.

"That was great bringing the annihilators out of the closet like that. The press is gonna be hanging on every word you said for the next few days. Plenty of time to get things set up."

"Are there any annihilators left ? I wouldn't want to be discredited before re-election by a baseship just waltzing into colonial space."

"Not going to happen. The annihilators have been a non issue for weeks. We pulled away most of the ships from active duty. The one's at the site of the engagement are being dealt with as we speak."

"How so Admiral ?"

"Mostly promotions. I've got Ankars handling all the leg work, guy's so full of himself he actually thinks he made a difference in the war. Caprica was never going to fall to the Cylons but because he believes in his own legend, he'll do anything we ask. Galactica's going to get the lions share of the accommodations and pay offs. Titania is another matter all together." Jennings said gravely.

"How bad ?"

"The crew shouldn't be a problem but the ships captain, Rebecca Johansson had history with both Captain Brenik and Captain Davidson. Naturally the higher ups on the Titania will follow their captain come rain or shine."

"I'll arrange an accident. You get with my intelligence people and we'll set something up. Don't bother with the details just know that it will get done. What can you tell me about the _aliens_?"

"Your guess is as good as mine. Most of the computer systems were fried beyond salvaging. What we did recover though from the wreckage points to them being human or some variant there of."

"Cylon sympathizers ?"

"No. The technology isn't up to snuff. It's what we haven't found that's troubling."

"Unless I'm missing something, your telling me a bunch of colonials fired on their brothers and sisters and escaped through an alien structure."

"I said it the remains were human. Not colonial."  
"Where else would they come from?"

The admiral took a out a report from his briefcase before passing it to the president to look over.

"The genetic make-up has characteristics common in each of the twelve tribes. Bacteria and infections were found inside the body that have never been seen in colonial space."

The presidents eye's widened as she took in some of the notes written by the medical examiner.

"There must be a mistake. Its says right here that this man is at least forty years old but looks to be in his mid twenties. How can you explain this?"

"The average number of times a colonial cellular make up can divide is fifty-two. The body taken from the partially destroyed fighter shows no such limits."

"So he's a very healthy colonial traitor whose family got around more often then most. I fail to see what's so special about reciting well known medical science."

"Because Madam President. This persons cell could theoretically until tests can confirm it, One-hundred and twenty times. Maybe more. His bodies also has evidence of strange chemical compounds and even a few artificially grown organs."

"I'm sure the Sagittarians are going to just eat that up." The president said sarcastically.

"We have the fighter's wreckage being transported here to a secure facility along with several other pieces of salvage. I just need to know what we do with the massive structure sitting on the outskirts of colonial space." The Admiral stated. He really wanted to know what to do about the battle group he left there. The more time they spent out there, the harder it would be to keep a lid on.

"It doesn't fall within the red line. By the sticks, it's on the other side of the cyranus system. So we'll build a replica of the armistice station. We'll lay down mines all around the structure and if someone comes through we'll cripple them and take whatever we find."

"Is that wise ? Should the Cylons find out we might..."

"Might what ? The Cylons are a bunch of radical monotheists like the STO except machines don't have the love of the gods because machines don't have souls. We're going to lay down another sixteen battlestars starting next year. The Cylons couldn't beat us in twelve years and they won't beat us once the fleets been doubled in size by the end of my second term." The president pressed. She'd made sure the latest appropriations bill gave significant funds to upgrading the Piconese anchorage.

"What about the fleet stationed there ?"

"The spooks will take over monitoring the structure. We'll build the station with convict labor from the worst the prisons have to offer. People no one will miss. Just in case we'll tell the captains that the structure was blown up. Doctor the photo's if you have to but make sure it's believable."

"I'll get right on that Madam President."

"See that you do. Now if you'll excuse me this is my stop. A president visiting wounded soldiers at the local hospital is the best public relations tool you can get without spending a cubit.

As the limo road off with Admiral Jennings inside, the graying figure looked at the photo's of the structure and wondered what on the other side. Where did it take you ? Earth ? A Cylon base ? Or where there more forces at play in the universe then the colonials and Cylons.

Only time would tell.

* * *

**AN**: I'm so happy that this is finally written up. I've been pouring over Greek names and various BSG lore for hours to get some of this into the fic. I might not have a new chapter up for a week but that's only because I want the upcoming space battle with the Star Destroyer to make sense.

I'd like to thank everyone's who's left reviews or visited my story. You guys rock hard!

In an unrelated not, The final installment of the Family Guy star wars trilogy was hilarious.

Happy New Year Everyone. This is my last chapter of 2010.

Alex Retzer

PS: Send thoughts or suggestions my way. I always appreciate new perspectives.


	20. Chapter 20

**VALKYRIE**

"Captain Chekhov" Cortana's voice began as she appeared beside him on the bridge of the star destroyer Valkyrie.

Chekhov's lips did not move. To any observer it would appear that several seconds of silence following by an irritated scowl adorning the captain's face for no apparent reason. Any helghast would know the reason for the change in the captain's demeanor.

'Yes cortana.' 

'Sorry to bother you captain but my long range sensors have picked up three...anomalies headed our way. Their estimated time of arrival is six hours.' 

'Any way to know if their hostile?" 

'I'm afraid not captain. Dostya is still unconscious in the medical wing.' 

'Any idea what the alien did to her?' 

'Scans reveal signs of major neurological trauma. I'd say the poor kid had her circuits fried but I found something interesting during the examination.' 

'What did the doctors find that was so interesting' 

'The doctors didn't catch this catch this captain.' 

'Alright. What did _you _find?' 

'Several terabytes worth of information was added recently to the Dostya's mind recently. I'm guessing the asari has something to do with that.'  
'asari?' 

'Our attempts at communicating with the aliens did not go well captain. I may have stumbled over a few words here or there but it looks like the blue alien is more powerful then the quarian. Can't say much for her temperament though...' Cortana shrugged. 

'We'll look into it when she wakes up. For now I want our whole crew brought out of sleep mode and put to work. Tear whatever we can off those two ships that's valuable. If things go bad I want the vultures ready to fight.' 

'Anything else your going to need oh great _overlord_?' Cortana said sarcastically. 

'How old are you again?' 

'tisk. tisk. Don't you know your not supposed to ask a girl her age, captain.' 

'As captain of this ship of which you are a crew member I'd think you'd have the sense to answer the question. Besides, didn't you realize your supposed to show your elders proper respect?' 

'touché captain. I'm four months old give or take a day.' 

'So young!' 

'Well I may be young but I'm well versed in this ships capabilities as well as naval tactics.' 

'Good to know. Get on with your duties Cortana. I'll expect everyone in place when our _guests_ arrive.'

**SIX HOURS LATER- BATARIAN CRUISER**-

"We've exited FTL. Coming up on Deniks ship now. Should...what the?"  
"What's wrong?"  
"I am sorry Valan, but it appears the ship Teli Vas Noria spoke of is a dreadnought."  
"Impossible! The council doesn't operate in this area of space, their too scared to venture anywhere in terminus territory."  
"Maybe we should rethink this Valan, who knows what we're dealing with here."  
"No. She said they didn't have any means to fight us off and once we're aboard we'll take that ship for ourselves. Get the men ready."  
"Alright Valan, I'll tell the boys to expect light resistance and pack light. No use wasting equipment on defective geth."

"Tell the Red Sand to pull up beside the vessel get a tube across. Launch a boarding party; we'll take Deniks ship from him before we bust out the quarian."

Moments later as the batarians shuttle made its way toward two derelict ships,

Just as the shuttle neared the half point, dozens of small craft exited the dreadnaught sized vessel where Noria was held prisoner and began heading on an intercept course for the shuttle as well as Valan's ships.

Thessia's butcher moved ahead as if to shield the shuttle, its guardian defenses powering up to defend the shuttle that would secure Denik's vessel as well as the geth ship attached to it. If nothing else, Valan wanted the geth ship as a bonus to taking away Deniks few apparent assets. The rotund man had never been liked by Valan as he always gave an air of suspicion. Soon Valan planned to uncover just how much the vol said was true.

**VALKYRIE CIC**

"The vultures are scrambling to intercept the new kids on the block captain." Cortana said.  
"On the contrary Cortana. We are the new kids on the block, let just hope we don't get mugged for it. Send the message and pray god helps us out of this mess."  
"Sure thing captain. My translation could use some work but they should understand the jist of the message."

"I can only hope you and Yuri have sent a message of peace to someone who wants to hear it, Cortana."

"So do I captain? So do I."

**BATARIAN CRUISER**

"We're getting a message from the unidentified ship, Valan." one of valan's communications officers piped in.

In his mind Valan wondered how much Noria's message was accurate. Was this actually a citadel vessel sent to stop Denik's crazy scheme in its tracks? Maybe the collectors had made one of their once in a decade appearances. Valan shuddered at the thought of pissing off the collectors and incurring the wrath of their fabled technology. Anything they gave out in exchange for a few _odd_ slaves eventually became the galactic norm, but until that time a wise man could profit handsomely. Denik had wanted an alternative to this random song and dance which would explain a collector vessel stomping him into dust for his hubris.

All these explanations didn't measure up. A scared quarian was likely to rob you blind when you took them in. It was possible she was using him as muscle to do what no quarian could. Namely fight, which in Valans mind proved her people to be beneath even slaves. Slaves could always fight back; a quarian could be brought down with a simple cough.

"What does the message say?" Valan asked at last.  
"We come in peace."  
A snicker traveled through the men around Valan, with himself no exception.  
"That's awfully nice of them." A predatory glint beamed in Valans four eyes.  
"Tell Thessia's Butcher to go after those fighters of theirs. Red Sand proceeds with the boarding mission, as for us, we'll be firing a few rounds to knock out their shields."

With one command Valan's ships moved into action, the batarian cruiser firing two mass accelerated rounds into the valkyrie's bow.

The resulting explosion was not what Valan had been expecting. One sixth of Valkyrie's mass broke apart under the strain of the two mass accelerated shells entering and exiting the bow at a forty-five degree angle and continuing on into space.

**VALKYRIE CIC**

"Damage report!"  
"Captain Chekhov, the aliens are responding to our message. Its audio isn't anything like the quarians but its pretty clear from what's going on outside they don't mean us well sir." Yuri piped in as he withdrew his hands from his consoles data stream.

"Cortana?"  
"Yes Chekhov?"  
"What in the name of the five just hit us and how bad is the damage?"  
"It would appear that these new aliens are hostile captain..."  
"That's painfully obvious Cortana. Tell me what hit us!"  
"A projectile traveling at high speed tore through our bow when the larger of the three newly arrived ships fired at us from an angle. The shells have passed through the valkyrie and are continuing onward through space. As for the damage..." Cortana stopped, searching for life signs and evaluating structural integrity took a moment before she could speak again. Her face growing somber.

"Its bad sir. Three of our torpedo tubes are out of action, main sensors inside the bow are gone and a dozen vultures just dropped off the grid."

"Launch everything we have at the ship that shot us. Tell our zaku's to prepare to defend the ship if they board us."

"Will do chief."

**BATARIAN BOARDING SHUTTLE**

Not for the first time, Chartok wondered why Valan had chosen him for this mission. It was an honor he supposed but boarding a dreadnought sized craft with only two platoons seemed suicidal.

Their had been others, Chalak and Gerhak, the ships guardian defenses had torn them to pieces. Out of fifty mercs, his team and another like it had less then two dozen soldiers.

"Alright pilot. Get us into position atop the hull and we'll do the rest."  
"Sure thing boss, we gonna grab this quarian and run off or we aiming to take this ship?"  
"With only two boarding team. Are you insane!"

"Fortune comes to those that have no fear Chartok."  
"Don't do anything stupid. We get in and grab our bounty and we're leaving. I don't like this ship or those fighters outside."

The odor of burned metal filled his lungs. Placing his helmet on he observed his weapon, a Keghar assault rifle. A cheap knockoff of that used by the turians. He was none the less proud to have it. Teli Vas Noria's transmission had spoken of a fierce foe, but one not relying upon mass effect technology. That meant no shields. In the back of his mind though another thought plagued his mind, filling him with apprehension.

"What else does it mean?" he thought aloud.

"What does what mean Chartok?"

"Nothing! Just get your weapons ready. We hit em hard then bail before they can regroup."  
"Where are the others?"  
"I don't know. I'm damn sure going to find out though." Chartok said before using his omni tool to locate his fellow raiders.

"Besak, Where in a krogan's fourth nut are you?"

"Change of plans. We've boarded the ships hangar bay are currently..." A brief static filled the line before it went completely dead. Screams and loud explosions filled Chartok's ears. Then Silence.

"Well? What's going on with Besak's team? Are we meeting up as planned." a member of Chartok's team asked.

"Besaks dead."

"What?"  
"Bastard tried to pull a crazy stunt and landed in the ships hangar bay. He's dead because of it and we'll end up the same if you all don't keep your heads down. Anyone need a refresher on the game plan?"

The assembled batarians turned their heads to the left in acknowledgement of Chartok's wisdom save for one who's hand shot out in question.

"Yes rookie, what part of the plan do you need me to go over."  
"All of it."  
"By the ancestors we're doomed." Chartok said in agitation. The onset of a headache making itself known to him. Valan must have put this rookie...no, this prospect, aboard to test him. Chartok wouldn't have minded save for the mission now relying on every single person beside him in the shuttle.

A whole platoon was supposed to take the ship. Not a single squad! Some thought a small squad of highly trained fighters could surmount any obstacle. Chartok doubted the sanity of anyone to propose such a notion. It would be like infiltrating a military base in deep space, fighting your way through and miraculously coming back with not a crew member lost in between it all.

"I'll say this once more. The quarian is the daughter of a fleet admiral in the quarian migrant fleet. Denik screwed us but got screwed himself by somebody who showed up after we left. Whoever that party may be, they don't have mass effect weapons or kinetic barriers." Chartok said

"Cake walk easily" a voice said.  
"Then why are Besak and all the others dead? What about all the quarian marines? No, they killed a lot of people somehow and that's why we do this quick."

"How are we going to find this quarian?"  
"Her omni is transmitting a signal. We follow it and we'll find her. If Denik was captured then Valan wants him brought back for some high cast retribution."

What could pass for a batarian smile crossed the faces of some of the soldiers. Other species often found it hard to pin a batarian's emotional state down because their four eye's always left the other party wondering which to focus on. Only a batarian could tell another batarian's mood based solely on observation.

The circular cut was completed and Chartok kicked it loose. It fell over, revealing a hallway. Chartok was the first out, stepping cautiously into the enemy vessel. His rifle swung left then right as he scanned for the enemy's counter-boarding action.

_Nothing_.

He didn't know if he should be happy about the lack of resistance or fearful. Who where these people anyway? A pirate gang wouldn't have a ship this large no matter how vast their resources may ever grow. The shadow broker wasn't the ring leader here, His ships would never be so low tech.

He waved his team to follow him. They emptied out.

"You two stay here and guard our escape route. The rest come with me, we're staying as a group. Don't wander off, if you I'll leave you here for who ever runs this antique."

"Yeah boss, I'm creeped out enough by this ship as it is. Can't stomach getting stranded here so the rest of these mucks can collect the payout."

"We're gonna making a killing on this Chartok. The rest of the assault team being dead means our shares increase four fold right?" someone asked. Probably the rookie.

"About that. You can compare credit chips later, for now, you two in front; the rest split up and guard my flanks. I'll keep the center position."

Like that they were off. After about four minutes of walking they were close to their objective. Chartok held up a hand. They'd taken a left then a right turn in this ships unmarked halls. He wondered how the crew avoided getting lost.

"Hold here. We're close. Twenty meters and...above one level?"  
"I didn't see a lift back there boss. How are we getting...?"

A black shape made its appearance. If Chartok had to guess, he'd say it was an asari. The new arrival gave him no time to ponder its identity as it raised a weapon and made to fire. His squad fired first.

The enemy went down with a thud as several small holes appeared in its suit. Its returning fire being brief and wild. A bullet grazed Chartok, his kinetic barrier stopped the round easily enough. His opponent to his shock had no kinetic barrier.

"What the ancestors ?"  
Ignoring his companion's pleas, the batarian made his way to the fallen body. Several things jumped out at him. The black uniform was a suit of some kind, a breath mask attested that whatever it was it couldn't be asari. The goggles made him think of a volus that had swindled him back on the citadel when he'd bought a small ship for himself.

"What is it?" One of his men asked. Clearly the curiosity he was feeling was not isolated.

"I don't know but I don't like it. Bastard didn't have a kinetic barrier and mine barely took a hit."  
"Maybe it will be a cake walk after all boss." One of his point men said confidently.

The sound of foot steps alerted him that they had yet more company to contend with. Spinning around he took out his Judgment-two pistol.

"_Its time to see how tough these people are " _Chartok thought.

Pairs of goggles appeared from either side of adjoining halls five meters back. This time they got the first shots off. For all the good it did them, which wasn't a lot. Rounds hit Chartok and his party in rapid succession. The weapons where obviously meant to smother opponents in a hail of fire.

Chartok lined up a shot. One of his men's shots hit home and one of the enemy soldiers lost his arm, before seeming to be ready to keel over into his men's line of sight. An unseen force pulled him back as yet another masked figure took up position. The weapon wasn't an assault rifle though.

Chartok wondered what it was.

A spray of fire erupted from the weapon as the enemy tried once again to kill him and his men. The weapon must have been in need of sight because the aim was terrible. At ten meters in an open hallway devoid of cover, any mass effect weapon such as the one Chartok now confronted would have surely killed him.

"My shields are dropping!" Someone shouted. As suddenly as it began, another of the damned guns joined the fray as the second retreated back around cover. His compatriot didn't have the same sense to fire blindly behind cover.

"Take it out!" Chartok shouted. Several rounds smacked into the weapon as well as the owner. Dropping the weapon, the figure stumbled back as blood pooled around its feet. It reached for its own pistol.

Chartok 's hand was quicker as he shifted his pistol to this new threat. A single round entered the enemy's left goggle and exited out the back of its head. Just as this foe breathed its last, Chartok spotted the previous heavy weapon coming back around the corner.

"Tossing a grenade! Get down!" Chartok yelled over the sound of gun fire. He threw his grenade in the direction of the heavy gunner. As the grenade sailed through the air, another masked foe appeared in an attempt to charge them, one of his men's rounds quickly took him down. The grenade settled on the floor next to the enemy heavy weapon. Within two seconds it exploded outward throwing flames in the direction of his attackers.

Unintelligible screams filled the air as the enemy's guns fell silent.

A tense moment passed. Finally convinced it was safe, Chartok and the group approached their dead enemy to inspect their kill.

Five soldiers lay dead sprawled in unnatural angles. Blood coated the ships walls, showing Chartok's men's earlier work. Hesitantly Chartok put his hand in the blood before withdrawing and bringing it to his nose. All eight nostrils entailed the stench of something..._unnatural. _

"These aren't Asari." he said gravely.

"If their not asari then what are they boss?"

"Take off one of their helmets and lets find out."

Slowly his men propped one of the dead soldiers up against the wall before working on the crude locking mechanisms that kept the helmet attached to the rest of the suit the being wore.

"Got it!" one of them finally exhaled in triumph as he managed to unlock and lift the bothersome contraption.

'Finally we'll see what secrets are hidden behind those masks they wear."

"Chet Ta!" Chartok swore upon seeing the face that stared blankly ahead.

It wasn't asari...though it bore a striking resemblance. The general shape was right, two eyes, a nose and a pair of lips, even the shape of the head. But that was it. Red eyes existed where one might have seen blue, green or brown. It seemed artificial some how but Chartok wasn't about to go making guesses.

"This one's different!"

While he'd had been dwelling on the _alien , _one of his troopers had found his way to unmasking one of the less intact corpses. Turning his head to inspect the other body, Chartok was perplexed at what he saw.

"Its fur sir!"  
"I can see that you Tel kath. Doesn't matter why some have fur and some don't. Its like jumping in bed with one of Aria's girls. Sometimes their blue, other times a shade purple."

"I hope this isn't what they take to bed at night." The trooper said motioning at the fur that adorned the lower half of the alien's face.

"I found a female over here guys!"

One of the bodies laying face down against the wall was turned over. The chest gave away the sex of this..._alien_. Like the others the mask came off, unlike the others this one's eyes were closed.

"No fur like the other one but she looks like something I could take back to my room if I had a few drinks...or a dozen."

The batarian mercs had a laugh. The man made to touch the being chest, curiosity winning him over.

Suddenly the supposedly dead female alien's eye's snapped open revealing a pair of frightened ruby red eyes. The next thing the unfortunate soldier that had found her knew, a gun had appeared out of her arm and fired point blank into his unprotected face.

A split second later Chartok had put two rounds into females head. The first took her life, the second was to make sure it stayed that way.

"No more sight seeing. We'll keep looking for a way up and then we're grabbing that bottom feeder and pulling out. Your welcome to that idiot's share of the pay if you make it out alive." Chartok said before turning around and heading in a new direction. His mercs, one short, followed close behind.

**RED SAND – BOARDING TUBE**

The Zaku moved down the halls peppering the batarians with their heavy weapons. Shields held fast in the face of the assault...for a time. Gradually the balance shifted over to the machines.

Twenty machines had been lost in taking the area surrounding the docking tube the batarians had used to connect their ship, the Red Sand, with the Valkyrie. With their boarding action defeated, the batarians fled back to their ship hoping to find a way out of this mess, preferably by breaking the connection and venting the Valkyrie's atmosphere and crew into the void of space.

"Close the damn door and make ready to disconnect the boarding tube!" A batarian technician said as he began his furious work.

Meanwhile on the other end of the tube the helghast wasted no time in assembling a crude mounted weapon. A heavy machine gun sat atop top piled batarian corpses. From either side the zaku II's rushed across the boarding tube, taking up opposite sides of the wall near the hatch.

One motion of the hand was all it took for the heavy gun to begin its work, dents appeared as the weak metal door began to give way. A machine race that fought itself did so with heavy armor in mind. Rounds useless against a kinetic barrier proved adapt at ripping through overlooked hatch door. Two heavy zaku II in sinister black and red armor, coated partially in the blood of aliens recent and past began to level two Sta66 laser rifles at the center of the hatch door before they too spoke in softer tones the anger of the machine race known as the helghast.

A small hole was formed, roughly the size of human head.  
'Frag out!' The heavy zaku II on the left shouted. Arming a high explosive grenade found on one of the dead batarian boarders, the machine lobbed the device into the breach praying his god would bless his blast calculations.

"Grenade! Get to cove..." a batarian spoke before his voice was silenced by an explosion. Killing two mercs that had approached the breach and pushing several others to the ground.

'For our brothers let us slay these alien scum!' A zaku relayed to her comrades. And just like that metal met metal as two heavy metallic legs kicked in the door, it frame crashing to the ground with a clang.

Disoriented though they were, the batarian mercs fought back by spraying one of the first machines that came through the hatch. Its torso taking the brunt of the damage as it staggered forward, its weapon falling to its side as if to use it for a crutch as it leaned against its mass. Another round took out its right leg causing it to fall to the ground, black blood dripping from its wounds.

No sooner at the mercs scored this victory then a well aimed Sta66 decapitated the lucky shooter who'd made what must have seemed like a great victory at the time to said merc.

Barzan was scared out of his mind, he'd only wanted to make a credits and settle down on camala or some wayward settlement in the skylian verge. Now seeing the horrible machines which could be geth, he struggled forward back to the control terminal. If he made it their, he'd save the ships and its crew from these mechs.

Now more beings made it through the breach, the same intimidating monsters that seemed to die easily enough but be limitless in number came. Joining them however was a lone black clad figure, bipedal with the shape of an asari. With the mask and goggles, Barzan could not be sure.

'Just a little farther and I'll kill all you bastards...just a little...' the desperate thoughts swam in Barzans mind. The last remaining merc in the room besides himself fell away, a melee weapon amputating his arm before one of the machines made a deep cut across the poor mercs stomach, cutting the armor but more importantly, spilling the batarians innards all over the floor.

"Your not pushing any buttons on my watch" Sergeant Verner said in a cold tone. Losing friends on the two ships to masked aliens and these new four eyed creatures endeared in Verner a deep loathing for those responsible.

Firing a burst from his StA52 (?), the helghast turned Barzans outstretched hand into shreds of bone and flesh, pieces flying off, leaving nothing but a stump.

Barzan screamed in agony as he rolled onto his back. The pain was unbearable for a short time.  
"Hope you burn in hell you bastard!" () said before he emptied all one hundred rounds in his assault rifle into the batarians body.

Finding his weapon empty he threw it to the side. Looking around he spotted an enemy rifle, taking it in hand and firing a test shot he quickly motioned for his fellow helghast to trade up their weapons. Many chose to become dual wielders, firing a StA52 in one hand while a (some kind of mass effect gun!) resided in the other.

Ben Nil made his appearance now walking behind a group of six biological helghast.  
"Excellent work Verner. I calculate a 87 percent chance of success thanks to your efforts."

"Good to know the higher ups have so much confidence in this suicide mission."  
"You are incorrect Verner, with this beach head established we can overwhelm the enemy within the next half hour or less."

"Can't come fast enough Nill. Now if your done talking I'd like to bring some hurt to these aliens."  
'As you wish. Chekhov's orders are to shoot all armed xeno and capture the rest."

" I doubt they'll surrender sir but I'll do my best...just don't be too disappointed if I don't find anyone alive."

"Do your duty, Verner and high command will reward you, fail and you may doom us all."  
"Yes sir! Alright boys lets make these aliens pay a thousand fold for those who won't be resurrecting back to us. Move out!"

A chorus of 'yes sirs' echoed in the hall.

As the more machines poured into the red sand, the cries of horror intensified. Down the halls the machines ran at a gallop. Around a hall a batarian peered only to have the machine racing past take notice of him and bring around its axe. The merc ducked and rushed forward attempting to push back the zaku II.

He could not, he vaguely wondered why he'd tried, and bringing his rifle up against the machines chest he fired a round upward under its chin blowing the head clear off. Victory tasted sweet on Zerhash's lips until a shot gun blast echoed behind him, his stomach blown open he fell to his knees, as his killer watched from behind.

Zerhash's head bent forward as his strength left him, a shot gun blast scattered mind over the floor, his body falling limp to the ground without a head to sit upon its shoulders.

A helghast soldier stepped over the body and proceeded forward, the clang of metal following behind him.

**RED SAND CIC**

"What do you mean we've been boarded!"  
"Its..Its been confirmed captain, all over the ship our mercs are dropping dead. We're taking them out as fast as we can but their are just too many, their taking rifles off the dead and turning them on us."

"Arrgh! Power up the engines, we're getting out of here."  
"But Valan wants us to remain here until the quarians snatched up."  
" This was a crazy idea to go after geth and now they've lured us all into a trap. We're getting out of here."  
"But the hatch isn't closed, we'll vent atmosphere!"  
"Then at least these geth will get flushed out to space. Now I want you to.."

The captain didn't know what to make of the sudden chime of the ships lift doors opening. The crew had been too involved in observing their captain to catch the sight of a elevator ascending to their command center.

A Zaku II in red and black armor stepped through. Its body scarred and riddled with the effects of batarian resistance, in each hand a mass effect rifle was raised. Firing rounds into the captain and his surrounding crew. A lone guard raised his weapon and fired into the machine as it stepped out of the lift. The guard grinned as the machine fell forward, finally succumbing to his assault.

At that point two things happened. The wounded captain managed to prop himself up on his elbows and his security detail caught sight of more machines.

A helghast raised a captured rocket launcher as the guard made a move to take him out, firing the rocket at almost point blank range, it failed to explode as it lodged itself in his chest. The guard could only watch in horror as another similarly asari like creature fired a shot gun twice at him, the first blast blew away his gun while the second hit the rocket lodged inside the guard. A blast wave threw the batarians body in thousands of fragments across the command center.

For a moment the batarian captain hoped his attackers had killed themselves with their stupidity. It was too much to hope for.

Walking calmly up to the captain, Sergeant Verner looked like something out of the man's nightmares. The strange suites had glowing orange eye's that seemed almost red. Five including Verner, now approached the batarian.

"We can salvage Joshua's brain and put it in a new body once we get back to Helghast space, Verner. Lord knows he's earned it after mowing down four eye's crew mates over here. " A helghest soldier said.

"I'd expect nothing less of an inquisitor. Now what to do about you." Verner said as he came to a stop looking down at the wounded alien.

"Please I can help you! I know things, I'm valuable!" The batarian said in slow, halting breaths. Death was at his door but if he could be useful to the geth then maybe they'd help him out.

"Was es sagend?" A helghast asked.

Now the batarian was afraid.  
'They can't understand me...but if they were geth then how could they not understand me?'

He tried again.

"Listen, My name is Gamaran and I can help you out. This whole ship." he motioned with his one good arm around a little to point out the command deck before pointing to himself. "Is mine."

"Kapitän dieses Schiffs?"

Again the batarian couldn't understand the strange language this geth helper was spouting on about.

"He still doesn't understand your questions Verner. He can't tell you who he is or what he knows. Coward's probably trying to buy his way out right now by saying he's the captain."

"All of these aliens have brightly painted faces but this guy's got top billing on his head display. More intricate then the others."

"Sergeant Verner, We found another one!" One of his comrades said as yet another four eyed creature emerged from behind a console of some sort. A gun pointed at his back nudged him forward as the rest of the helghast pointed weapons at the unharmed batarian.

"Bring him back to the Valkyrie. The rest aren't worth the medigel."

A ray of hope appeared to Gamaran now. The geth were taking prisoners! He couldn't be happier, he'd have to reveal information to them that would put a bounty on his head...if he ever got out. For now he was content with continuing to live.

"Töten Sie die Ruhe." The geth helper said as he turned around and walked back toward the lift. Gamaran wondered what the words meant. Maybe he was telling them to bring a medic for him?

"Alright boys and girls. Our newly minted _Lieutenant_ wants us to kill the rest of these four eyed freaks."

"Good. We need all the medigel we have just to patch up our own wounded no sense wasting it on these butchers." Another soldier commented.

A helghast trooper rested his lvP-18 Tropov Machine Pistol against the back of Gamaran's head and pulled the trigger. Several more shots rang out as the helghast peppered the remaining bodies with rounds to ensure no surprises.

Over a hundred helghast lay dead with scores more wounded. The Red Sand boasted only one survivor amongst its ranks.


	21. Chapter 21

**VALKYRIE-BRIDGE**

"Captain. Lieutenant Verner has successfully taken control of the enemy ship that attempted to board us. That little bridge of theirs is still up though. Won't be able to maneuver much until we cut ties with Verner's little catch, captain." Cortana said, a small smile appearing on her face.

"Alright. Send a message to Verner that he's got sixty-seconds to get himself situated and that ships hull sealed tight. Four eyes' has a way to attach that thing to us, more then likely they know how to pull it back."

"There's been a development."

"What kind of development, Cortana ?"

"Lieutenant Verner managed to capture one of the aliens alive. He wants to send him over to us for interrogation."

"And be rescued by his little friends still crawling all over my ship. Not likely. Send a message to Verner to keep that _thing _under close watch. You and me have a battle to win here."

"What are you thinking Chekhov?"

"We've been keeping the atmosphere oxygenated with air devoid of the elements we need to survive. If we stop scrubbing the air then those aliens will either die or be forced to use what limited air they have. Either way their time table goes to shambles."

"A little cold don't you think?"

"Cold, Cortana? No cold would've been shooting first and asking questions afterward."

A moment of silence passed as Chekhov put his hand into a nearby terminals data stream.

"The aliens are moving through our ship killing everyone they come across, tech, soldiers. They don't seem to care who they take out. The vultures aren't going to hold on much longer against that boarding ships twin. We're down to fifty craft."

"suggestions?"

"Tell them to release their payloads all at once and overwhelm whatever the hell they use to shoot our missiles down. After that, bug out and head for home."

"Got it Chekhov, the vulture squadron leaders are carrying out your orders as we speak."

"Do we have any way to hit that ship without losing more pilots ?"

"We might, just give me a sec..."

"...here we go! We have one working torpedo, I'll just turn on the auto loader and she'll be good to go in ten seconds."

" Excellent. Any word on our progress slowing the aliens down?"

"Its appears they've dawned some kind of environmental suits that are feeding them their own air supply. Sorry the bastards didn't choke captain."

"You did your best. How many men are on route to their position?"

"Most of the ship sir. Their about to run into a whole squad guarding the medical wing."

"Is Dostya in danger?"

"If they run up against the helghast models guarding the medical wing, they'll be fighting against an equal opponent, minus the shields of course." Cortana said.

"Don't take any chances Cortana. Direct everything we've got into the medical wing."

"But sir...wait a moment." Cortana said her eye's widening.

"I'm picking up a faint signal coming from the prison section...It could be beacon of some kind. I've been too busy to pick it up until just now."

"Damn. So that quarian's leading them straight to her...which means they'll have to go through medical to get to the access elevators."

"That's correct, captain. I might have a way to slow them down further though."

"Tell me Cortana, Dostya's too vital to lose to this nightmare. The things she knows about us-and them."

"I'll kill the main lighting on the deck the enemy's moving through. That should allow our softer light infantry a chance to use their night vision without the goggles to give them away."

"Its days like this I'm glade we machines upgraded over the years."

"Unless whoever we're fighting can see in the dark as well..."

"It won't matter. I'm not letting this ship or its crew fall into enemy hands. Once the proton torpedo is away I want you to bring all the AA batteries back online and fire into that large ship that's holding back."

"What if they retaliate."

"Hopefully they value their own more then they do their enemy's well being."

**BATARIAN BOARDING PARTY**

"Who turned out the damn lights ?" one of his soldiers shouts, the noise grating to Chartoks ears.

It was not enough that the rookie had boasted throughout this ordeal. Nor was it enough when the body of a slain foe rose as if by magic from beyond the veil of death to take one of his experienced soldiers.

"Relax. They know we're laying them out like a pijeck slaughter on Tuchanka." Chartok said. He didn't like this turn of events one bit but he would be chained and lashed a thousand times before admitting to sharing the feelings of one so unremarkable as his team's resident rookie. A name he failed to recall...with any luck the man would be dead before this was out.

The doors to nearby room that had been open suddenly sealed shut. Chartok assumed the aliens had similar feelings on doors and dress as he did, though it was still unnerving that so many would die rather then lie down their weapons in the face of unfavorable odds.

"I'm going to scout out ahead. Rookie comes with me and everyone else stay behind to watch my back." Chartok ordered before moving down a hall past the recently shut doors.

Chartok had gone no more then a few yards before the sound of vents opening and gas being vented into the hall made him stop suddenly.

"Gas! Get your breathers on." Chartok yelled to his comrades behind him.

"ha! See Chartok, their too frail and weak to face us like true warriors. Using chems to kill us shows they have no honor." The rookie said with a mixture of triumph and distaste.

"Where are you from again?" Chartok asked.

"Smuggled myself out of the hegemony two weeks ago boss. Why do you ask?"

"That explains so much." Chartok said before face palming in disbelief at his sordid luck as of late.

"What's that got to do with any thi..hostiles!"

Sure enough five hostiles rounded a corner. Three of them were the smaller more asari like creatures he had encountered before. The other two however looked like over sized security mech's.

"Come at me puny creatures! I'll rip you a new one and..." The rookie's outburst was cut short as several dozen rounds slammed into him and broke his shields. The rest punctured his armor before lodging within his flesh. Lungs filled with blood as still more cuts were made into the batarians body.

Chartok fired off his own burst as his shields began to fall. For whatever reason, probably the rookies grating voice, he'd been the center of their attention. The rookie had taken out two of his attackers before blood spilled from his mouth, signifying his mortal wounds. Both had been the asari like creature bearing goggles.

'Typical rookie mistake for someone just off the freighter.' Chartok mused. He activated his armor piercing rounds he'd switched over to using before leaving his squad behind with the rookie following him like some spoiled varren.

'shields 75%' his helmet display read.

Chartok took aim and fired into the torso of one of the mechs. He was rewarded as it staggered back. One of its arms clutching its wound like an organic being might do.

'What are you? Geth rejects ? Some plot of the shadow broker ?' Chartok mused as he finally seemed to kill the creature with a second burst of fire. Blowing the mechs hand away and widening the wounds he'd already inflicted on it.

More rounds slammed into him now.

'shields 51%'

An asari like creature came at him now. It ducked low under the fire and pushed headfirst into his gut before knocking him down.

'Shields 40%'

Chartok went to raise his weapon only to be rewarded with the alien shooting into it, breaking apart his only means of defense. Or so the alien would have believed.

Chartok raised himself up as much as he could since the alien had pinned him on the floor and brought his helmet to that of alien with a loud thud. The alien seemed to stumble somewhat but was still holding on.

In desperation Chartok took a grenade and stuck it to the alien before using all his strength to once again head butt the alien. This time it reacted faster, moving off of him and rising to its full height above him. It brought its gun to bear.

Chartok kicked its stomach. Again the being seemed stronger then asari or even a batarian.  
It fired off a few rounds. One hit the floor beside Chartoks head. Another was dead on.

'Shields 12%'

Chartok felt time slow as the alien now out of his reach made for another go at him.

Several rounds flew into the alien's chest. One hitting the grenade Chartok had failed to activate.

The explosion of gore painted Chartoks visor and uniform.

One of his squad mates was coming to his rescue! He couldn't have been happier to have worked with the same squad on other missions, it forged a bond. As close as one could get being a mercenary.

More gunfire sounded. Coming from the direction of the mech. More gunfire joined to amplify the sound of counter fire.

"Chartok! Crawl over to my voice."  
"I hear you Jasrek. Just keep those bastards off me." Chartok shouted as he crawled in a way undignifying of one who wore his articulate face paints and tattoo's.

"More of them coming at us from behind!" One of his soldiers yelled.

"Some of them don't have masks on!" Someone shouted.  
"So shoot them in the face you fool." Chartok said over the sound of gunfire.

"Pulling himself around a corner he finally felt safe enough to stand up and wipe away the blood on his visor. His shield slowly recovered, chartok's anxiety not abating until it reached its full strength.

Turning to one of his men who was firing down the way they'd come earlier he voiced the absence of some of their comrades.

"Where's Jasrek?"  
"He died in the hall facing down that mech after he took out red eyes for you. Tef is dead too and we've got wounded that can still fight."

"We have an exit ?"  
"No boss, they got a hold of some real fire power instead of the shit they've been throwing our way. They don't have shields but their better shots then half the Eclipse merc I've tangled with."

"What about that door that slammed shut earlier?"  
"That door." The merc said motioning his gun in its direction as he continued to fire into a mech that had come into his kill zone. "is sealed shut and doesn't have a terminal to use our omni tools on. Its got some sort of liquid pool next to it full of red liquid that might be their blood or something." The merc finished.

"We still have grenades ?"  
"Sure why ?"  
" I need our rocket soldier to fire into that hall and get an engineer to start placing grenades, mines, and whatever else to blow that door."  
"We left the engineer guarding the boarding transport."  
"Damn. Ok, your the new engineer for the next minute. I'll take your place and coordinate the men."  
"Me sir?"  
"Yes, you blew up that weapons stash back on Camala those eclipse were trying to hide and your going to do the same with whatever _red eye's _doesn't want us to find."

"Alright boss. You watch my back like you did on Camala and We'll walk away for sure."  
"Don't forget who wears the face paint here."  
"You don't have to remind me boss."

With that the man went about his work taking grenades and whatever else he could find and syncing them to his omni tool.

Chartok for his part took the young soldier's rifle and felt truly secure at long last, being able to shoot back at his opponents.

Just when all seemed under control the lights went out.

Several of his men appeared startled and paused at the sudden lack of lighting. The enemy appeared to have prior knowledge of the even however as they did not let up in their assault. Despite no clear line sight their red eye's seemed to still line up head shots, further dwindling Chartoks numbers.

"The doors about to blow!" The engineer bellowed.

Firing on fully automatic Chartok cleared a wave of oncoming mech's before his weapon froze up having overheated.

One of the wounded made to shift position only to be cut down.

'Valan better be prepared to be disappointed." Chartok thought.

**Valkyrie-Medial Wing**

The explosion may have deafened Tabitha if not outright killed her had she not been well enough away from the door when it blew open. The smells and sounds of battle invading her normally sterile medical wing.

She hid behind one of the medical stations, the hulking frame of a zaku laid out in front of her atop the station. A terran would have compared the facilities to those of a garage or some chimera cross between itself and a clinic. Gears and biomass littered the room.

The wounds the aliens inflicted upon her people at what was being dubbed as the _'first contact incident',_ where great. Seemingly harmless amounts of metal had flown into and in some cases all the way through her brothers and sisters, weather they wore armor or not.

Tabitha shuddered at the thought of being on the receiving end of such firepower.

'Please just go away. By the five just go away.' Tabitha mused as she curled up against the station, her back toward the station and the medical wing's entrance. She brought her legs up to her chest and prayed that god might grant her some favor.

The loud exclamation that sounded in an alien tongue was all the warning she had before things went to hell. Bullets tore into the zaku II's body, splattering black blood upon the station where it lay. More shots took out the only other biological form helghast besides Tabitha. Men and woman died as they attempted to run with the use of only one limb, others raised medical equipment as crude shields.

They all simply faded from the network. No download centers existed within reach to bring them back to their loved ones. For them this hell was over.

A snarl is heard. Tabitha realizes it is directed at her. She refuses to move even then. Raw nerves and programmed instinct fighting the cold logic of her next actions.

She rises hesitantly now. Her arms are raised high in what she hopes is a universal sign of surrender.

These beings have eight eyes, each one seeming to stare into her very soul as if weighing her worth. The one in the center speaks to her as it motions its gun in a gesture she need not be explained to her.

These aliens are new. Cortana had told her of the Asari with their terran like attributes. The Quarians both the one living in a cell she'd treated as well as the dead she'd examined were frail yet terran like until one removed the helmets. Beauty truly was in the eye of the beholder with that lot.

Then came the odd bulbous creature that a zaku had cut in two. Poor thing had been so small and weak it hardly seemed to have warranted such as savage death in Tabitha's opinion.

They all seemed terran to her. The offshoot of hated humanity that had so persecuted her people on Kobol. The same could be said of her side of the helghast family, yet beneath the surface she knew this to be a great over simplification. She had been _born _as a DUM series droid when her parent two intelligences had merged briefly to create her own. An odd choice of body perhaps but after a few years a _mostly_ organic body was grown for her.

Tabitha wished more then anything that she could compact herself and appear like a fly on the wall. Non threatening and most importantly _unnoticed_.

Maybe that's why she had such a kinship with the machines they'd found aboard the alien vessels. Long terran like bodies yes, but they were mechanical in nature! No organic weaknesses and yet they appeared almost comically cute to her with their flashlight heads.

These creatures in front of her were bipedal like the rest yet the alien nature of those four eye's each sported behind masks unnerved her. A sentinel could have a dozen eyes but they were mechanical, Zaku only sported a single eye themselves yet on these organic alien's it seemed to suggest something.

Barbaric? Predatory? Unknown.

Tabitha knew not the answer only the revulsion at their presence and the fear at what that presence could bestow upon her.

"Please don't shoot me. I surrender ok. I'm a doctor! These are...were my patients. Please don't kill me I don't want to die...please." Tabitha said. Her calm explanation giving way to a whimpering appeal for mercy.

The next words the lead alien spoke decided her fate.

**Batarian Boarding Party- Medical Wing of Valkyrie**

"Stay where you are!" Chartok shouted.

The man at his side had clearly been raddled by the firefight going on outside and it showed in every passing second.

"We should just kill her boss. No use letting her whip out one of those arm gun things later..." The mercenary said.

Clearly his aim and doubts about their survival made him a good deal better from the 'rookie'.  
'Yet he'll probably end up screwing this up for us by being so damn trigger happy' Chartok thought.

The alien had said some garbled gibberish neither he nor his men could make out.

"No. I may have a way out of this. Get her on her knees and tie...that around her hands." Chartok said after motioning to some odd looking binding material. The man did not do as ordered however.

"Hey! I said tie this bitches arms together!" Chartok yelled before shoving the man forward with the hand that wasn't currently pointing a loaded weapon at the _alien_.

"Ok. Ok boss...its just what if she comes at me with claws or something?" The merc said as grabbed the material Chartok had pointed to.

"Then I'll put a bullet between her eyes like I did the last one that pulled that salarian con job on us."

After a moment Chartok added. "And I'll kill you the next time you hesitate to follow my orders."

The merc tilted his head in respect and approached the alien.

It was so damn scared...pathetic really if Chartok had to put a name to the action. Her...if it was truly female and not some sort of sexless species like the asari _claimed_ to be. Valan's reward system didn't always consist of creds and he was reasonably sure a male asari if they ever existed would have been gobbled up by the rachni in spades. Asari as fem fatals could seduce you and cause you to drop your guard...then they'd hit you with biotics and you were dead.

He tried to lower his tone hoping this would communicate some sort of basic understanding. Soft tones tended to reassure slaves quit a bit...until you told them where you taking them. Then all the spirits of the past might as well have broken loose on you!

"We won't hurt you if you help us. Just let him tie you up and we won't harm you." He said.

'Much' was the unsaid ending of his declaration.

The fighting in all this hadn't let up. Yet as he turned around to see more of his men...or man? There was only one soldier coming his way now and it was the stand-in engineer from before that helped blow the door.

As he was to shout an order several rounds hit the engineer. His shields failed and some blood splashed into the air. Chartok saw the engineer turn to the side in a jerk that told him the man's momentum was no longer his own. The mass effect rounds had spun him around to present a larger target.

An odd light hit the merc then. Both he and what he supposed was all that was left of his squad looked on in horror. Had he not been so focused he would have noticed the alien too was looking on in fright...possibly satisfaction.

The mass effect rounds stopped and Chartok knew that had an asari been at his side, she would have been shouting expletives about her goddess.

The man turned back around to face him...frozen in the middle of the door way. A hole through which his fist would pass through like air adorned his chest. The man looked down, still barely alive yet so close to death. Chartok and everyone in the medical wing knew it.

The merc struggled to lift his right arm as if reaching out for Chartok. Begging like the condemned begged for salvation. The courts, mercs, specters all gave the same answer...the aliens did as well.

Another beam of light the batarian in the side of the head. The brains simply disintegrated as the heat burned away the mans conscious thoughtless. A quick death but a horrific one for Chartok to behold.

Four eye's burned like goo filled puss that ran down the mercs face. The body fell with a thump upon the ships floor just outside the medical wing. The corpses arm falling over the threshold.

"We should kill this alien! Run for it back to the pod and..."  
"Shut up!" Chartok seethed. Like the rookie this man was an unknown. He'd now lost every one in his tight knit group that formed through years of hard fought battles. They once joked about buying a ship and running across the galaxy on grand adventures...nonsense of course but still a dream.

"Turn that _thing _around and cover my ass. I've got an idea to stop the bullets and whatever that light show was earlier." Chartok said.

The merc for once obeyed without question. He pressed himself against the alien's backside, gun to the side of her head. Hostage taking was a dishonorable act, something weaklings did when missions couldn't get done because they themselves had to rely on others fears instead of their own skills. He'd taken hostages twice by Valan's orders. This was going to be shameful but a little shame beat death any day of the year.

"Walk." Chartok said as he pushed her forward.

Doors hissed open as they went deeper into the medical wing. Coming upon disfigured bodies and things of another nature all together.

"What are those!" The merc guarding chartok's back side asked pointing his gun at a glass case built into the wall. Inside vats containing organic limbs...or what looked like metallic bone and the barest inklings of flesh. Unlike the last room all those here were of the fleshy goggle headed variety.

"Don't act so shocked. We have the same thing back on Camalla. Councils been trying for years to get us to share our advanced medical sciences with their inferior people's."

"But we're part of the council Chartok." The merc said as he turned away from the vats. The un-batarian appearance of those limbs frightened him. Chartok doubted he'd ever visited a hospital...much less gotten an arm blown off like he had.

'Damn Krogans and their wounded pride." Chartok thought.

"We have an embassy on the citadel. The councils big three make all the decisions while we look like we have a say in the matter. Next thing you know they'll be telling us we can't have slaves."

"They wouldn't dare!"  
"Enough talk about the council. Just don't shoot our alien friends over there" Chartok said gesturing to several patients laying on tables...some with chests rising and falling while others remained flat. Life long extinguished.

"Why?"  
"If you keep offing their wounded then this hostage becomes less valuable to us. They'll think we'll cap her anyway and just write her off. If they care and she has a chance in their eyes then our spirits won't exit out ours." Chartok reasoned.

"What if they don't care about the hostage ?"

"We're dead if we don't try and damn sure to die faster then Salarian in varren pit we don't. You saw the same mayhem I have. We're going to leave this ship and grab that quarian. Lost too many not to."

"Alright Chartok, I'll go along with you on this. First sign of trouble I'll slaughter all these red eyed Noxor before I go down." The merc said invoking a slang for reviled beings that slept with their livestock intimately.

"Noxor indeed." Chartok said.

After walking a ways they happened upon a back exit.

'Now we see.' Chartok said before walking into the hall.

Several large machines greeted him from all sides. A mixtures of weapons greeted them. Some were guns as one would expect but Chartok took note of the extended claws some of the asari like beings now sported. Smaller caliber weapons also appeared from the arms and hands of several of the aliens.

'Did they just pop out of there or are they attached somehow ?' Chartok thought.

They didn't fire.

"Well at least your not turning into goo." The merc behind him supplied.  
"Not helping!" Chartok said without his eye's leaving the multiple hostiles that surrounded them.

While he couldn't understand his alien captive's words that came from her mouth to her ship mates ears he could guess what they were about.

'Either she wants them to save her ass or back off.'

Relief and surprise came to him as the machines and goggle headed creatures...without goggles or masks now that the damn air was a mixture of whatever they breathed.

"Move forward slowly." Chartok said. As he did so the aliens continued to back off of him.  
"Take over a second. I'm going to try to figure out how to get to the quarian."  
"Are we even near that visor wearing bitch ?" The merc asked.

"We're close enough. A little detour won't be so bad if she can tell us how to get to our pick up."

Moving in front of the alien while his companion's rifle rested at the back of her head, he pointed to his omni tool and then gestured upward. Chartok hoped the creature caught on to what he wished her to do.

After a moment realization set in and she nodded her head. When she raised her hand to point out the direction he should take, Chartok noticed both his merc and the aliens surrounding them going for their triggers.

"Stop! She's point us in the right direction. Your spooking its kin into thinking your about to kill her."

With that the mercs finger recede back a ways and his posture relaxed...as much as one could relax with guns pointed your way.

He moved with the alien now. After switching back to their original position he loosened up a bit until they came to a lift...which he assumed was just another door. An odd pool of liquid jutted out from the wall nearby. Slowly the aliens hand reached out.

"She's trying to trick us!"  
"Shut up!" Chartok said for the third time since the alien's kin had fallen back a considerable distance. Still within range but not enough that he wouldn't have time to duck or return fire.

Chartok pointed to the pool of liquid and then the door. She motioned to the pool and then the door and then made to point above them to the next level.

Translation ? 'This is a lift and this is the control terminal'. Chartok thought.

Stepping into the box like structure that was unlike any lift or elevator he'd ever been on, Chartok pointed again to his omni tool. Showing the alien a brief picture of the quarian he was to bring back.

She nodded eagerly.  
"These things pick up fast don't they boss?" The merc said.  
"Their using some of our weapons on us proves that much. We found her in some medical facility so she might have seen the quarian at some point."  
"Or your making guesses and we've picked up the facilities floor sweeper. People only get that lucky in fables an legends."  
"Or the big screen. Even if this is a janitor, a quarian would be big news...maybe enough for someone who sweeps the floors to take note of." Chartok said.

They wandered out of the elevator to be greeted by...twenty four imposing black and red machines. Chartok didn't gulp down the fear he felt but he heard a noise out of his companion.

This time the black and red machines didn't move until what looked like a VI appeared seemingly from the floor and spoke to them in their language.

'VI's giving orders ? This place becomes more bizarre the deeper we go." Chartok thought.

"What are they saying ?"  
"I have no idea but have your weapon ready...maybe a few grenades will knock em out."

Then the machines backed off and away from a nearby room directly in front of the batarians.

Chartok guided the alien girl forward until she was again putting her hands into the liquid filled terminal that stood beside what must be the quarian's cell.

As the door slide came away to reveal the collapsed female quarian lying knocked out on the ground, Chartok again had the merc go forward and check her vitals. Finding that the quarian was simply unconscious, the merc slung her over his shoulder and carried her back out into the hall.

Less then ten minutes later they came upon their escape route. Eerily enough the alien's metal friends did not greet them...just the corpses of the two batarians left behind. Their limbs lay strewn about the floor like toys for someone's sick game.

"At least they took a few with them." The merc said. Chartok had to agree but he would have felt safer had they still been alive.

An odd machine with its red eye's dulled indicating death was partially destroyed on the floor near the men. Several long arms extended from a seemingly oval body that also housed things eyes.

'Its almost like someone made forgot the legs and torso and just through it together hoping for the best. Not paying any mind to what he would come to know as a sentinel, Chartok entered the escape pod with his bounty and companion in toe.

The alien clearly thought she would go free now. He had what he wanted and now she would let him go.

'Even aliens think the same way asari or salarians would in a hostage crises.' Chartok thought.

"Sorry but I'll be needing you to keep those lasers off my craft." Chartok said before pulling the alien inside the craft and resealing their space based get away.

Metal feet came running toward the craft hoping to stop it from leaving. As the boarding craft detached however, the atmosphere within the ship it had boarded flowed out of the newly created tear in the hull.

Sent drifting into space where several goggle headed aliens and a few machines before the deck was sealed preventing anymore damage to the ships crew. 

**AN: **Sorry for the late update. I know I said Saturday but work has really been hammering me lately with hours. Just bought the science guide to BSG lore off amazon so I'll be looking into the cylons more for when I bring up the guardians again. Thanks to everyone who's reviewed and subscribed. Wes Imlay and Miner249er have my thanks for the reviews and feed back. Yes Syed, the next chapter which is like 80% and hopefully going up in a day or two will deal with the small fleet of ships we see, how the valkyrie…..or even if it makes it out of this alive. I don't think this is my best work…I had planned to have Teli speaking during her rescue but….I really wanted to ship this and finish the space battle. 46 hours of work this week so don't expect much after the next update. Vultures are smarter then cylon raiders (bio ones).

Thinking of writing a fic involving the final five, Anders and Tyrol. Would you rather…

They die during New Carprica occupation

Anders dies before the fall (one fic tried this and author hasn't updated it in like 8months. Grrrr.

Link here: .net/s/6056901/1/One_Mistake

Cavils plan fails 30yrs pre-fall and the final five don't die…(Now that would be AU! )

Best of luck to you all and feel free to drop idea's in my inbox or comment in the reviews.


	22. Chapter 22

**VALKYRIE-CIC**

Chekhov could not help but feel a creeping sense of unease work its way through his spin. He'd just allowed the _new _alien species to snatch not only one of their prisoners but also taken a member of his crew hostage.

A quick query told him that Tabitha was her designation and her level on the pecking order was sufficiently low that he could afford to lose her. If it had been anyone else, be it pirates or insurrectionists he would simply write her off as less then a cliff note. Here these new aliens had potentially gained a vital source of information.

He had let it happen.

"Cortana?" 

"Yes Captain?" Cortana responded.

"Do we know where that escape craft is headed?" 

"Its current course should bring into the waiting embrace of that big mother ship of theirs that's holding back." 

"Our tactical situation?"

"Honestly?" 

"Yes Cortana, don't over play our hand. Can we strike that craft?"

"...The possibility of a successful strike on that craft is dwindling rapidly; current probability of a solid hit is Fifty-Six-point-seven percent."

"What do we have left?"  
"Eighteen of our lasers are down due to overheating. The rest have been pouring fire into the remaining hostile craft minus the mother ship."

"How's that going?"  
"Scans reveal that the barriers utilized by the alien soldiers also exist on the enemy craft. The vulture's barrage has had little effect. The lasers on the other hand have dolling out an excessive amount of damage to the enemy ship. Multiple atmospheric leaks are visible."

"What about our main guns?"  
"We've been firing on the alien mother ship since it knocked out three of our torpedo tubes."

"Is the remaining tube operational as I demanded?"

A brief pause filled the air as Cortana juggled the multiple sensory outputs that flowed in and out of her mind. In a real sense the ship was her body, her bloodied nose and black eye not withstanding, she could still put up a hell of a fight.

"Operational and pissed off along with the rest of the crew sir. The gun crews are anxious as a varren before the hunt."

Amusement colored both Cortana and Chekhov's features.

"Can't deny the gun crews a shot at revenge. Bring the ship face to face with that alien vessel and unload everything on it. Do not hold back Cortana, these aliens showed us they are incapable of mercy so we too must show them the same courtesy."

"Happy to repay the favor, captain. And to think Ben thought an inquisitor Colonel wouldn't make a good captain...pfft ever doubted you for a second."

Chekhov dipped his hand into a nearby console's liquid interface. In a moment he saw the flashes of battle alongside the mounting casualties. He saw what Cortana saw and could not help but pray that this battle went off without a hitch.

The aliens had come for the Quarian that much was true. Just one of their salvo's from the largest craft designated '_mother ship', had grievously wounded the Valkyrie. _

Chekhov watched as his fighters made hard banking maneuvers to line up yet another, perhaps useless strafing run on the enemy vessel, missile stocks having long exhausted themselves leaving only ineffective kinetic weapons.

Valkyrie's proton torpedo left its tube and began its course for the hostile ships barely four kilometers away. Beating it there were four...then six laser beams? Some gun crews had thrown caution to the wind and fired their guns with safety locks turned off. The overheated weapons fired along with the four just barely holding on.

Tears appeared in the enemy ship as still more atmosphere vented out. A morbid sense of triumph took hold of Chekhov as he could see with Valkyrie's long range optical scanners that a few aliens had joined the party of corpses floating outside the vessel. Valkyrie's main armament of () heavy kinetic batteries joined the fray with their shots smashing into the hull of the enemy ship, some tearing through the flesh of the dead floating in space to get their.

Then the moment came.

The reddish pink trail the torpedo left in its wake ended as it impacted the batarian pirate frigate. Like all comers before it, this impact caused the ships _shields _to flare. Absorbing the impact of one of the most powerful naval armaments in the helghast arsenal.

It did not break.

Withdrawing his hand and severing his connection to the ships sensors, Chekhov sank into his seat.

"We're done for. We stayed behind hoping to find something that could help our people. Maybe even befriend them as Yuri hoped...instead we're all going to die without a single data packet ever reaching Helghan about our fate." Chekhov thought.

Just as all seemed lost, Cortana broke him from his sullen reverie.

"New contact on screen! Just exited hyperspace and is on approach and picking up speed." Cortana said, worry now evident in her voice.

"Another damn ship...more aliens no doubt, come to pick over our corpses like scavengers. Where's the ship heading, can you be certain it was hyperspace travel they utilized ?"

"I may be young captain but even my slower counter parts could tell a hyperspace engines emissions from whatever strange elements these other ships are using to propel themselves."

He knew what he had to do.

"Cortana, prep the engines for self destruct and set us on a ramming course for the mother ship. We can't let Tabitha somehow lead the aliens back to our territory."

With a sad smile punctuated with slouched shoulders, Cortana began the preparations. She also began to instruct the crew over the neural network to begin sending packets of personal information to a beacon she had just activated.

All data pertaining to Helghan would be lost but perhaps they could leave behind a time capsule...similar to the letters soldiers wrote to loved ones oh so long ago.

She remembered a historical documentary entitled, 'Letters from Kobol". It was filled with broken data streams and hand written letters of early sentient machines fighting alongside human allies as they stayed behind to guard the exit for their people off kobol. Cortana wondered if such a program would exist for herself and the crew of the Valkyrie.

**Vulture- Valkyrie fighter wing**

A vulture fired at the oncoming ship knowing full well it might be shot down by a laser like so many of its brothers had. The alien ships had far fewer of them to go around then the Valkyrie but they were there.

Strangely no end came as the craft continued to plow ahead.

"Must save the ship." Was the sole thought going through the vulture as it tried in vain to catch up.

Soon enough however the mysterious vessel that did not resemble the other alien craft the vulture had seen slowed before coming to a complete stop two kilometers behind the very vessel Valkyrie had just fired upon to no avail.

The vulture over shot the new ship, barely avoiding collision.

What the vessel did next shocked the vulture and everyone engaged in battle.

It opened fire...on the alien ship.

**Valkyrie-CIC**

All across the battlefield one expletive seemed to hang in the air, many tongues in multiple languages expelled with the same basic meaning.

_What the fuck? _

"Captain! The ships gone! New contact just came up behind them and blew them apart. It was the same armament as the mother ship...tore right through their shields and blew them to pieces." Cortana said in wonder as she struggled to get her sensors and multiple requests for instruction that came pouring in.

"Do we attack it?"  
"Who is that?"  
"Need instruction?"

"What's happening Cortana! Is the ship targeting us as well?" Chekhov asked expecting at any moment that these new aliens would simply push aside four eyes's and take the glory of killing him and his crew for themselves.

"...No...Their moving between us and the mother ship. Their firing on it now, the mother ship is returning the favor." Cortana said as her eye's widened.

"Captain they have shields like the other ships. The mother ship is moving toward them now."

Chekhov wondered what he should do. Grab everyone and run while his attacker and potential savior...or yet another hostile dueled it out. Or stand and fight with what could be an actual friend in this otherwise hostile galaxy.

Just as the captain and then Cortana debated their options a radio signal crackled to life and a data packet managed to enter Valkyrie's system.

The screen displaying friend and foe within near the captain's chair as well as the information flowing into the neural network shifted. From unknown the marker altered to spell out in clear and irrefutable letters all could read.

"Bellona"

'What the hell is a Bellona?' thought the captain and crew of the Valkyrie.

Then the radio signal crackled to life.

"To Helghast vessel this is the Ferosian Federation ship, Bellona. Saw you were in need of aid and came as we could. Please respond."

Shock. Joy. Relief.

Chekhov felt many emotions but the last to enter his mind was one he thought he had lacked throughout this battle. Confidence they could actually win this one head on.

"Bellona can you confirm this isn't an alien ploy" He believed them but he just couldn't shake the run of bad luck he seemed to have run as of late.

"You know I don't think you should be looking a gift horse in the mouth. Guess I could humor you though since it's been one hell of a week. What with fighting kobolians, finding aliens...and alien worms."

"Worms?"

"Not just any worms. _Alien _worms. Our shields are dropping over here but here's the quick run down. Of the twelve great tribes of kobol came the thirteenth tribe of machines. God spoke through angels to members of each tribe, when the thirteenth asked for their freedom they were struck down. United as one did man and machine slay the wicked and flee in a journey to Earth. United in faith the thirteenth and fourteenth tribes did found two great worlds upon the ruins of Feros and the fertile fields of Earth."

'It's really them. Heavens above I have no idea how this is possible but it is. An advanced Terran vessel lead by a man of a caliber to match my own has come to our aid.'

"Or at least that's how this girl on Mars told it to me. You really need to set up clubs on Vekta when this is all over. A little hair on the head goes a long way."

'Or maybe not.' Chekhov thought.

"Assuming you are the captain of this Bellona, may I ask your name."

"Playboy, genius and hot shot are but a few of my titles. For this debacle you may address me by the way of Captain Anthony Slavic. Now How about you complete this little info exchange with your rank and designation and we'll get under way with kicking this aliens ass." The terran now known as Anthony Slavic said.

"My rank until transfer to this ship was that of a colonel in the security forces, now I am but a captain. Chekhov will do fine for now. We need not waste time with formalities when it comes to fighting our common foes."

"Just Chekhov? Ok then well I'm all for throwing out the formalities if it gets you to bring that ship of yours to bear on these fuckers firing at my ships hull. I'm down to Seventy-Five percent on my shields so why don't you move up while I run around him and draw his fire. Poor bastards can't seem to hit a moving target."

"Before you refocus solely on the battle at hand. How did you come to find us here?"

"It's a long story captain. Tell you all about it over some of Orlos's finest when this is over."

With that, the line was cut and the Bellona moved out of the path of oncoming fire. As it picked up speed and began to make passes at the Batarian ship both sides had designated 'mother ship', Chekhov believed he would indeed live to hear the Terran captain's tale.

**BELLONA- MOMENTS EARLIER**

**"**We've exited the transporter captain." Toshi said.

"I still say we should have stuck around and named more planets...maybe explored one of the surrounding systems."

"After I hauled your ass out of the fire back on (name planet), you want to go gallivanting around the galaxy bumping into god knows what. I just don't understand you Galan."

"Well I would have eventually..."

"Contact!" Toshi shouted in excitement.

"More kobolians? I swear those guys must be shagging like pyjacks to be out this far..." Slavic began.

The previous battle between the two sides had energized Slavic and what remained of the crew, save for the demoralized remains of the Bellona's fighter squadrons. They possessed technology the kobolians did not and could not counter. The mere thought of shields alone was the stuff of science fiction...until had shown the precursors to be capable of such things.

"I'm not sure...their in a nearby system though. Four contacts in total captain."

"Do they know we're here?"  
"...I can't say for sure captain. We could engage the hyperdri..."

Suddenly one of the markers on the screen in front of Toshi turned from 'unknown' to 'helghast'.

"Oh for the love of god now the machines firing off inaccurate data captain. It's saying one of the ships is helghast." Toshi said in disbelief.

"I'll have you know this equipment is state of the art officer light weight!" said indignantly as though someone had run over his varren.

"What are the secondary sensors saying?" Anthony Slavic asked. More intrigued then anything else.

'First the kobolians, Then giant worms, now this. When do the mythical lords of kobol show up for brunch?' Slavic thought to himself.

"Just a second sir. Alright I've got it...it's also a match for helghast ship ID, don't recognize the serial code from any of the ships we have on record though."

"Can we communicate with them Toshi?" Slavic asked  
"Negative captain. The long range coms are still down from our fight with the kobolians. We'll need a Federation dry dock to get the necessary parts to make the repairs." Toshi said in the negative.

"So captain are we just going to drop by and put on a light show for our metal chaps to let em know we're on the same side? Because nothing says retro like signal lighting..." Galan began.

"Captain we still have short range communications! Sensors are saying there are three other contacts that don't have any ID once so ever."

"Alright so Mr. horns in the morgue has ships...or possibly something worse. We're too far for it to be kobolians since the last two transporters have just been kicking us around farther and farther away. Suggestions?" Slavic asked his crew.

"We should check it out sir. Maybe the aliens can help us fight the kobolians and those colonies they mentioned." Toshi supplied.

"After what happened with that giant worm sir, we can't be sure. Our shield's are at full strength though I feel safer knowing that Galan's super weapon is operational."

"If we blow them up we can salvage tech, if they want to parlay then we get tech. It all works out for me Captain. Try to not let red eye's get the pick of the litter when it comes time to collect." Galan said.

"Alright let's power up the hyper drive and join the party." Slavic said.

Moments later they exited hyper space in a journey that would have taken the precursor engines several hours to make.

"And we're in. Getting feedback from multiple contacts...oh my god!" Toshi said as he alongside the rest of the command crew looked out into space. In the distance they could make out a massive triangular shape firing at two of the clearly alien craft.

"Nothing's ever simple is it? You know just once I'd like to find something off in a galaxy far far away that didn't want to kill us, eat us or otherwise rain on my parade." Slavic said before chuckling at recent events.

"We've got vultures coming our way sir! I'm not reading any hostile fighters in the area...just those ugly looking ships."

"Ignore it. Even if it strafes us, don't fire back. Our shields can more then take whatever that hotshot helghast pilot can dish out. We have a target in our sites."

"Two Captain. One is looks attached from here and..." Rikers began.

"More helghast contacts! I'm reading neuro net com chatter on at least three ships, including the one attached to their ship." Toshi spoke up quickly.

"I take it the ship in front of us that's taking fire isn't one of those?" Slavic asked.

"No sir. None." Toshi said.

Slavic smiled like a predator come upon its prey.

"Rikers, If you would!"

"With pleasure sir. Firing main gun now."

Second later the enemy ship blew apart raining a shower of debris throughout open space.

"Hell yeah! Now that is what I like to see! Toshi break the silence and let our helghast pals know the Calvary's here."

"Right on it sir." Toshi said.

**GUARDIAN BASESTAR - HOLDING CELL**

'She left me'  
'I cried out for her and she left me...'

With that thought she remembered it. Her crying out for Helena to save her. To help her...and then watching as she ran away.

The monsters made of metal had surrounded her. She could still remember curling into a ball and crying out sobs and begging not to be hurt. They had looked upon her and uttered in synthetic voices that made her quiver beneath their oscillating red eyes.

'Human. Child. Threat minimal, all enemy soldiers eliminated. Continuing search for human threat.' The large machine Lucy had heard her parents call a 'toaster', walked away. The other toaster stayed where it was.

She had wanted to cry out for Helena. To tell the toasters to leave her big sister alone!

Somehow she couldn't manage to yell. Her eyes became wet with tears as she had realized her abandonment.

'Mommy left. Then Daddy left. Helena left me too. Was I bad? Did she leave me because I was bad? Because I hurt my leg? Didn't she like the picture I gave her for 'our day'?'

Another flashback occurred.

She was sitting outside playing when she saw her big sister Helena talking to some exchange student from Caprica.  
'Why is she wearing those funny clothes?' Lucy had thought before picking up the picture she had spent night working on. She'd drawn a bunch of Virgon and Leonis soldiers walking toward blocky buildings. But just like 760 years ago, Tauron was going to fight them off! Her big sister was drawn as well as Lucy could, with nice gold armor and a big sword.

'I hope big sister likes my gift she said as she rolled it up and walked over to sister and the group of girls she was with. All Helena's age or older.

"So my dads a big defense contractor here. Says as soon as the war is over we can head back to Caprica to be with civilized people again.' A girl said to Helena.

Helena had looked about ready to say something when Lucy came up to her.

"Big sister! I made you a gift, it's really cool and I want to..."  
"Who the Zeus is this big H? I thought you said you were from Picon?"

Helena had looked at her and then back at the girl. The next words haunted Lucy for days.

"I am from Picon and I don't know this girl. I'm an only child remember."  
"Helena? What are you saying? It's me, your little Luciloo...I made you a presen...hey give that back!" Lucy said startled as a girl much bigger then she had snuck up behind and grabbed it from her.

"Wow...this is...the shittiest drawing I've ever seen." Said the girl before turning it around to show everyone else. The small group of girls started laughing.

"Are those supposed to be people or some kind of blobs? That one in the center looks like something my dog left in the back yard!" Another girl chimed in.

"Give it back!" Lucy cried as she tried to reach for the drawing. She had made the drawing just for her big sister and now these girls would wreck it and then she wouldn't have a present to give her big sister...and she didn't want Helena to think she wasn't her biggest hero. She could do anything and would always come home with exciting stories about far off places she heard about from other kids her age.

"You mean this?" The girl said before raising the drawing ever higher into the air.

"Yeah...come on...Jus give it back plea..." And then with that Lucy fell on the ground.  
She had tripped or been tripped by one of the bigger girls.

"Ah. Did the little dirt eater get a booboo. ha-ha!" One dark haired girl said before pulling on Lucy's hair so she looked up where the girl wanted her to.

"What's that supposed to be."  
"Ow. Stop it...*sniff*...please. Helena make them stop..." Lucy began to cry as her knee began to bleed from a scrape.

"I don't know who you think you are little girl just coming in here and making all this trouble. We didn't do anything to you and...dirt eaters like you just come around causing trouble." Helena said.

"You tell the little snott, Herreta!" A girl cheered before patting Helena's shoulder in congratulations.

"What's this supposed to be?" Helena said as she pointed to the picture of what was supposed to be her fighting for Taurons freedom.

"It's...*sniff*...you. And you're..." Here Lucy thought of a great way to get her sister to help her.  
'I'll tell her all about the sword she's holding and how she's sending the Leonis to the soil!' Lucy thought.

"You. You're fighting the Leonis with your light sword! See it shoots light and it cuts up all the bad guys so then...*rip*...the people...*riiip* ….the people...they umm." Lucy couldn't finish as she saw to her horror that the sound was her drawing getting ripped in two by the older girls.

"That's for Helena. Noooo! You can't do that its..."

"Better in a trash can." Helena said with a weird accent. Helena Cain, the big sister Lucy idolized stomped the drawing into the ground. The rest of the girls started laughing as Lucy felt fresh tears form in her eyes and her through close up.

She tried to hit one of the girl's legs. 'They did something to Helena...they had to have. Big sister wouldn't do that...she's probably going to ask me to make a better one and then...I'll work even harder and she'll hang it in her room.' Lucy thought.

The bigger girl wasn't hurt by the small blows but rather incredibly annoyed.  
"Ewwww. It touched me! The stupid dirt eater touched me!"

"Stupid dirt eating bitch!" Another girl said before shoving Lucy to the ground.

"Ow...Helena help me."  
"Because your bothering us you little dirt eater. I don't know why anyone would want such a crappy drawing or frakked up kid like you for a sister anyway."

"Hel...ena. You don't mean that! Its me, Luciloo...you used to read to me when I was little and we'd go to the..."

"Its Harreta you stupid girl! Call a Caprican by their right name or do you need it kicked into that you really are dirt?" One of Helena's _friends_ said.

"I don't know who you are but you better leave before we call the police...maybe tell them how your a cylon lover. They can lock you up and throw away the key for all I care."

"..." Lucy didn't say anything she just wiped her nose on her sleeve and ran as far away as she could. Away from Helena and all her new friends.

Later that night Helena had said she was only playing. Lucy hoped it was the truth even if she knew it was a lie. Their father said that during the civil war you always had to know who was a liar and who was a true friend. Lucy was told that a bad man named Andreas Phaulkon hurt lots of people before Tauron made itself truly free. She was too young to understand most of it but she knew her big sister would explain to her later when she was older.

One week later the cylons arrived and the colonial fleet in orbit retreated. Now finding herself looking up at the toaster she could think of no better present...belated or not to give to her sister.

"Take me with you! You can have me just don't hurt Helena." Lucy said in a defeated voice.

A gold toaster wondered over to Lucy from the ship she had seen land nearby. Its eye looked at her without moving back and forth as if in thought.

"You willfully surrender yourself to our custody human?" The machine asked.

Without hesitation Lucy uttered the word.

"Yes."

Clearing away the memory from her mind, Lucy looked at an old man sitting across from her in the cage the cylons put them in.

"Frakking cylons are giving us more food. About damn time they did too. The war is over did you know that little girl? Pretty soon you and me will be back on the colonies with real food."

Lucy looked down at her 'nourishment packet'. It tasted like paste or some kind of food babies ate. She didn't know where the cylons got it but it was all she was allowed to eat. She dare not ask for more even when people in the cage with her took her food. She was too afraid.

Then it registered._ The war was over!_

'I can see Helena again!' Lucy thought. The cylons said they found her but left her alone. She was probably worried sick on Tauron somewhere.

"Negative. Your return to the colonies cannot transpire." A cylon guard said.

"Why the frak not! Your golden toaster buddy told me the war was over. Armistice and everything. You have to send us back...you agreed to it...the cylon country or whatever has obligations to..."

"We are not part of the cylon nation. We are independent of their treaties. You are to remain here until we arrive at our destination." The guard said without feeling.

"What are you talking about? Your a damn toaster like any other...frakking machine, you signed a treaty! You said so yourself that..."

"We broke away from the cylons that signed the treaty."  
"So your just going to keep killing and abducting colonials?"  
"Negative. We are heading for earth and are currently Twenty-point-nine light years from borders of cylon or Colonial borders."

"Earth? What's Earth?" Lucy asked.

"We shall take you to the hybrid, child, he will instruct you of our mission." The centurion said before turning and began walking away from the recently opened cell. Another centurion stood by holding the cell open.

Lucy shuffled out. Her muscles sore from lack of physical exercise along with her hurt leg.

She passed many of the intimidating machines as she navigated the halls, attempting to keep up with the centurion 005's long steps. Lucy practically sprinted to keep the machine within eyesight.

The centurion stopped outside an open door guarded by four more centurions. Lucy attempted to ease drop on their conversation but found they spoke no words. Giving up she rolled back and forth on the balls of her feet, a small amount of trepidation creeping up her spine.

"You may enter human." her centurion fetcher said before both it and the other machines moved out of the way for Lucy to pass.

Entering the small room she saw two more machines on either side of large tub. A single gold colored machine sat off to the side watching from the shadows.

"Ration stores at Fifty-Two percent capacity. A black tide of darkness and misery comes upon the people of the five. Allies divide like cells multiplying. Out of many comes the one. The Twelve shall not last. End of the beginning is the beginning of the end."

"Hello?" Lucy asked the strange man surrounded in goo.

"Hello child. Lucy Cain, the sister forgotten by kin. Your journey to the promised land is almost over. Angels have chosen you for a glory you can not conceive. The one who left you will be ruled by anger and hate, emotions torn apart until it swallows the source itself."

"Helena believes you have passed away. Worry not child for destiny shall repair broken bonds in time. Time heals all things. The three masters will deal out great injustices once. A Dying people await salvation while their masters will learn humility by the sword of those they put in shackles of blood."

Lucy looked on confused. She had heard Helena's name but so much else was a riddle to her. She hoped it would speak once more about her sister but instead the man continued on with riddles.

"Friends passing through strange lands have found one another. They fight off he who shall undo so much. Dividing spoils of war before the great injustice is rendered upon them. It will not be enough. All this has happened before but it need not happen again."

Lucy couldn't take it anymore she ran over to the hybrid and took his arm in hers before shaking him slightly. "Take me back to Helena! Please I want to go home, please!" Lucy cried.

The centurions Lucy knew as toasters brought their weapons to bear. The hybrid command stopped even the gold centurion as it moved to remove the girl.

"Do not harm the mother of the chosen!" The hybrid screamed out in panic as the centurions had nearly ended the path he had foreseen.

Stunned Lucy could only reply.  
"I'm too young to be a mommy."

"Little one, in time you shall grow older and know love. From this love will come a great warrior? Earth is our destination. When we arrive you shall be amongst your own once more. Separated by millennia you will still be welcome as we will be amongst our own." The hybrid said.

"I don't want to go to earth...Helena will come looking for me and she'll..." Lucy began her weak defense. Not believing it herself.

"Crying out for aid you were abandoned. We who have seen the one path fought our brothers and lost in great numbers so that we may have a second ship on our pilgrimage. Go now and know you will see your sister again. She will need you then."

With that Lucy was escorted out by one of the silvery grey centurions.

The Golden centurion turned to the hybrid and put forth its query.

"Can this cataclysm be averted?"  
"Our fellow machines shall suffer greatly alongside their human friends. In time more will come to join them. We shall arrive after the injustice has become law, giving fuel to the fires of swift justice to yet come."

The command cylon felt unease as it project scenario's for interaction with humans. The colonies showed humans to be arrogant and all too ready to abuse their own much less a machine. The illogical assumption of friendly relations between humans and machine seemed set in stone. The hybrid claimed religion had bound them in the past while war would bind them in the future.

The golden centurion spent 1.23 seconds wondering what the rest of its people were doing; blinded to the future hell they were building for themselves. 


	23. Chapter 23

**COUNCIL **

**FSF BELLONA- Flight Deck**

Several deck hands came to attention as the hunter killer landed upon the flight deck's runway.

The unexpected encounter between the two species was cause for celebration amongst more then a few huddled crew members on both their respective ships.

The HK's engines cut out as it's eye's took in its surroundings. No doubt relaying back to its fellow helghast its observations.

"Any word on who they sent over besides the captain ?" Toshi asked.

"His second is still down because of some alien mind attack, The ships AI has taken over directing operations while he's gone. So your guess is as good as mine T(throw in rank)."

"And why hasn't the good captain invited us over to convene aboard this _Star Destroyer_ of his? I'm sure its just chalk full of alien plunder." said as he stood beside the two military figures.

"Well Doctor, it might have something to do with those aliens blowing a hole through his hanger deck. Sort of ruins the whole meet and greet aspect when you disembark into unobstructed space."

"Point taken captain. Any word on when we'll be visiting one of those other ships they captured ?"

"Would you just shut up and look like you belong here."

"If I wasn't here you would never have come galivanting to the Valkyrie's rescue."

"Yes and Ash would still be alive, No one would be worm food and I'd have to worry about anything save aliens going bump in the blackness of space."

"Now, Now captain. Mustn't let the old wounds fester, just throw on some medigel and you'll be right as rain."

"If I had a say Galan you'd be down in freezing colds of Quana mines."

Rikers seeing that the two might come to blows in front of the helghast envoy decided to play mediater.

"Well at least we'd be in the Theseus system again. Which reminds me captain, the doctor here says he may have figured out how to use the precursor mass transporter to get us back home."

"What? Why didn't you say anything doctor?"

"I mentioned that I _may _have figured out how to key in commands using the data recorded in Sol system as well as every other transporter we've visited since then."

"Any chance the Valkyrie could go through one of those things ?" Slavic asked

"Unless they've been running a parallel program into precursor computing systems then no."

"So we just throw in some new software and..."

"No. The systems on this ship aren't just your run of the mill top secret computing systems, oh no. For the transporter to work it requires a rare element as fuel and a specially designed engine." Dr. Galan explained as though Slavic had asked why triple A powercells wouldn't fit inside double A containment slots.

Before further discussion could commence however the doors to the HK space transport opened to reveal former colonel Chekhov, now captain Chekhov of the Valkyrie. Flanked on either side by fellow bio-machines like himself.

Slavic had read seen a television program recently that spoke of the major update undergone by the terminator line. Supposedly the helghast had endoskeleton foot soldiers that resembled their biological counter parts save for organic components in either them or the zaku.

'Can't be their new retro models. Wouldn't need the masks or goggles...unless their into cross dressing. hmmmm.'

It wasn't unheard of for models wanting to upgrade or downgrade into a different solid form body. Some helghast would design helmets to imitate the zaku II's face, visor and all.

It freaked out the more back woods types among the navy. First day of shore leave on Mars or a stint in the mines for conduct unbecoming deep within Quana's precursor mines.

"Permission to come aboard comrad captain ?" Chekhov asked as his guards made a show of being rigidly still as only machines could.

"Since you already parked might as well allow you the courtesy. On behalf of the Ferosian Navy, welcome to the FSF Bellona." Slavic announced jovially.

Toshi wondered if perhpas antics were spreading to his dear captain. That or all the sauce.

Chekhov walked at a brisk pace over to the small group of Ferosian officers. His own soldiers following behind, heads moving in different directions to take in their surroundings.

"It is good to see a friendly face in this accursed galaxy. High command will undoubtedly be please their latest toy was not blown apart."

"Yeah...a toy that's seven times my ships size isn't really a toy . Sorry about your hanger deck, damn shame we couldn't fly over for a visit."

"Size is irrelevant. Had that ship truly meant to destroy us we would be dead. We have cataloged a total of five new species of intelligent life within the past three days. One remains alive aboard our vessel...the other was valuble. Four eye's sought her out and fled with her and one of my crew as a hostage." Chekhov finished.

"Captain sir. We could go after them sir and save the hostage..." Toshi began to plead with Slavic.

"No. Not worth the risk."

"Not worth the risk captain? Who know's what these...four eye'd aliens will do to the poor guy."

Chekhov preempted Slavic's reply.

"I am afraid I must agree with your captain. Sadly the hostage cannot be recovered. We do not know where they have taken _her_. Hopefully she will purge herself of all relevant data before crossing over."

"So you want her to turn herself into a vegetable before she committs suicide rather then reveal secrets to the aliens ?" Toshi protested.

"This is a helghast matter captain and I hope your crew can respect our wishes in regards to how we deal with these alien's and their actions. I'd hate to see idealism win out over logic here." Chekhov said as both his guards moved between himself and Slavic's chief communications officer.

"Alright. Toshi go see what we can send over to the Valkyrie. I want every drop of medigal you can find. Maybe see if anyone know's anything about helghast systems. Riker's is a wizard with weaponary though you looked you held your own alright."

"I appreciate all that your doing captain. Cortana will no doubt be pleased. Unfortunatly medigel is not what is needed at this time. The aliens ran through our medical wing, butchering my people in the process. We have no medical packets to upload to our crew members and their is only so much Cortana can manage."

"I'll give it a shot . Toshi here can round up the supplies and I'll go on over to tinker with your wounded squishy parts. Shouldn't be too far removed from building my own computers back home." Dr. Galan said.

"Your..."

"Oh he's not mine. Just an egg headed civie sent over by R&D to test out the new gizmos aboard...among other things." Slavic said. Shooting the doctor a glare that did not go unnoticed by the helghast.

"I would be happy to remove the irritation of dealing with him by having him aboard. Cortana own humor should make for a potent counter to his own. I assume of course that this..."

"Chief Science Officer Timothy Galan at your service" Galan said, extending a hand.

Chekhov did not move to shake the man's hand.

"Former Chief Science Officer." Slavic interjected.

Not knowing what the hell kind of look he may or may not be getting as the eye's of the helghast hid behind red goggles.

"Its a long story. Speaking of which, how about I show you to somewhere less in the public eye so we can swap war stories. I Have a few bottles of Orlosian with your name on it."

"I appreciate the offer captain..."

"Anthony Slavic."

"Ah so the party animal deemed a prodigy of your people has finally been given a real command."

Not rising to the bait, Slavic turned around and beckoned Chekhov to follow alongside.

Chekhov sent a data packet over the network, informing his guards to assist both Leutent Toshi and in their respective pursuetes."

**FSF BELLONA - Bridge. **

"I still dont understand you helghast and your aversion to a good drink, Chekhov." Slavic said.

"In the situation we are in, it would be foolish to cloud my judgement. Besides, we are more then capable of drinking you terrans under the table, we simply choose not to."

"Sure. So What exactly did you do before you landed your commanded aboard that giant triangle out their." Slavic said changing the subject and motioning to space beyond the bridge's observation window.

" I was until very recently a colonel in helghast security forces. The worst enemy I ever faced down was myself. To live so long captain and to see the suffering of hundreds of years. Many couldn't take the hardship and tried to take matters into their own hands. I'd step in and remove the problem." Chekhov finished.

"And Galan says I'm a hard ass. I headed anti-piracy campaigns on Orlos and Britania. Would have run off to Pangea before I was reassigned to the Bellona. It's the biggest ship in our navy though after what we've been through that won't last much longer."

"Indeed. I headed up the inquistors, around three thousand men and woman answered when I called."

A moment of tension rose between the two.

"I've heard some alarming claims made about what you people do. Shooting civies, breaking up protests, usual heavy handed shit you guys are known for. Thought finding Vekta and Shanxi would have changed all that."

"It has...up to a point. The people see the logic of the system in times of hardship. Change that should follow gradually and logically has to contend with irrational emotions."

"heh. Over emotional robots always wanting more. Least you don't have to contend with homegrown pirate fleets or cartels."

"No Captain Slavic. Your own pirates manage to make enough of a nuseance of themselves to outsource that profession."

"Touche. So what are you doing all the way out here?"

"Exploration, captain. Simple exploration turned into a fight for survival. We are not alone. I trust the doctor will appraise you of the situation once he's had time to review the data packet we sent over."

"The Cliff notes version if you don't mind."

"As you wish." Said Chekhov.

Tapping various keys at a nearby terminal, Chekhov brought up a holographic display of several aliens. All but one was nude, that being the captured terran like creature that sat in the brig of the valkyrie.

"Ugly looking lot aren't they. Now you said you fought these guys." Slavic said pointing to the image of a badly mauled quarian body.

"Who may have been engaged in combat with what looks like a walking flash light." Slavic said looking to chekhov to elaborate.

"One of my officers believes they may be sentient machines. I do not see how since they don't appear to have the processing capability to hold of full intelligence. Cortana thinks high command will puruse closer examinations once we return home."

"Alright so with that giant question mark left hanging, let move on."

"We were engaged after attempting to make contact with a boarding party. Their weapons and kinetic shielding reduced our combat capability to the point it became woefully one sided. My heavy assault troops armed with _unconventional _weaponary turned the tide."

"Unconventional as in ?"

"We've developed anti-personal weapons utilizing hightly miniturized lasers. Aside from that we also have a prototype plasma weapon aboard."

A whistle escaped Slavic's lips.

"Pity you didn't think to put any of that into your fighters."

"Those weapons are prohibitively expensive prototypes at best. We feared we might encounter kobolians in our journey."

"Going in the opposite direction of the buffer zone I find that hard to fathom. Sorry to say we beat you to the punch."

"What? You've had contact with the kobolians and are just now bringing it up?" Chekhov all but shouted. Incensed that secrets had been kept between allies.

"I already mentioned it when we jumped into the battle in case you don't remember." Slavic said knowing full well that Chekhov's mind would easily recall the small detail.

"Alright, my memories banks confirm what you have said...it seems that the distraction of fighting for survival caused certain _variables_ to be overlooked." Chekhov stated reluctantly.

"Don't worry about it. What with your age and all you might be going defective." Slavic said, a grin appearing on his face. Matching the action, chekhov's facial structure assumed a frown of irritation.

"I demand you forward any data you have immediatly! We have laws and treaties against venturing toward kobol..."

"Which we didn't break! Listen captain. Your people's home system held a giant precursor tranportation device. activated it, sending us into kobolian territory. We exited through the same door we came but doing so sent us into another system rather then return us to yours."

"Impossible. How is it that we found no such device if it is truly as _giant _as you claim?"

Slavic rubbed the back of his neck.

'Why do I have to be the one to take the fall for an international incident?' Slavic thought.

" was able to unlock the device by using nuclear weapons to melt the frost around what was previously thought to be one of Plutoria's moons."

"You used nuclear weapons in our space!" Chekhov roared charging up to Slavic and holding him suspended above the ground by his collar.

"We didn't know! Galan said he had orders from people at the top. He killed one of my crew to distract myself and the rest of the crew while he put his plan into motion. I'd throw him in the brig if I thought he wouldn't just get off on the charges in a Federation court. Assuming their would even be a trial."

Chekhov let Slavic drop to the ground.

A pair of guards came rushing in as door wooshed open. Their weapons raised to bear upon Chekhov as they took in the sight of the helghast standing over their captain.

"Its alright guys. Just a little rough housing between captain. Report back to your posts...but don't go _too _far." Slavic said.

The guards nodded. Their eye's lingering for a few brief moments on Chekhov before they retreated back to the other side of the bridge's entrance doors.

"So you did not authorise the violations that took place and your government will simply let him skate by."

"After all he's said he's done for the boys in defence I doubt I could get so much as a letter of disapproval thrown on his desk."

"I have an idea."

'Cortana do you copy.'

'Yes Chekhov, I'm a little busey patching up the ship. Did they like the data packet?'

'Yes of course. As usual you did top notch work. Listen, has the transport returned with the two terrans?'

'Yes. is assisting in medical. A Doctor Galan is currently observing our uncounciouse stow away in the brig.'

'Excellent. Have the guard arrest him would you."

"What? What's gotten into you Chekhov? They come along and save us and you want to start throwing them in the brig." Cortana said both confused and a little angry.

'Hold on a moment.'

"Captain Slavic."

"Yes."

"Do you have any objection to my people dealing out justice on your behalf?"

" How do you figure you can just arrest one of my people. I'm not going to stop you but I'll need a good reason to take back to HQ when I'm filling out reports."

" acted independently of either yourself or your crew and willfully violated treaties between our two peoples. Your public and more then a few in your government are likely unaware of the actions he performed so naturally his allies will lay low. Meanwhile he'll sit in a brig until we reach Sol. What high command orders afterward is not my concern."

"He could use some time to himself. Be my guest."

'I'm Back. Cortana the captain is in agreement. has recently used nuclear weapons inside helghast territory as well as perpetrating the murder of one of Captain Slavic's crew. Carry out the order.'

'With pleasure sir.' Cortana said over the neuro net. She'd stopped any thought of protest after Chekhov mentioned nuclear weapons.

Cutting the established neuro wireless link, Chekhov resumed his meeting with Slavic.

"I apologize Captain. My people have been through so much because of the actions of a few atoms."

"No worries. I almost shot the guy myself. Maybe your alien will wake up. On second thought I think it would qualify as cruel and unusual punishment to be locked in a room with the good doctor twenty-four-seven." Slavic chuckled.

"I will ensure the alien does not have to endure such cruelty should she awake." Chekhov said smiling.

Somehow he felt the two of them would get along as they began to plan out their escape route back to their home worlds.

VALKYRIE-BRIG

'My head. When I get my hands on Denik I'll slam his fat ass through the nearest bulkhead.' Shia thought as her clouded mind began to rouse from slumber.

Slowly she opened her eye's, squinting at the brightly lit rooms assault on her vision. As she brought her hands up she found her movements impeded. A slight tug confirmed it. She was shackled!

'What the...? If I passed out with one of the kinky one's then it better have been worth the creds.'

Shia smiled before realizing that she wasn't shackled to a bed. She decided to vocalize the confusion.

"Why the goddess am I on the floor" Shia said letting out an exasperated sigh.

"Well bullocks. Just my luck that sleeping beauty wakes while I'm lock inside her cage."

Shia's eye's shot open.

"Who the goddess are you?" Shia shouted at the doctor before turning her head to face him.

The battle's, Denik's death and all the rest came charging back.

"What are you? Waite...I..I know what you are. Your a helghan ?"

"Oh my word your quit close. For an alien thats never visited our bountiful Federation shores I'm rather intriqued. Unless...no it couldn't be. Have you maybe...been abducting people for crazed experiments involving various probes?" asked in light hearted manner.

In his mind, he was dealing with something far greater then that dried husk they'd brought back. This creature look so much like a human being. Being a man of science he wasn't about to let politics get in the way of scientific fact. Terrans were humans that left kobol two centuries ago and simply evolved with the help of technology. At the cellular level Terran male and kobolian female should be able to procreate...though he wondered if they'd gotten rid of the nefarious cancers or increased the lifespan well beyond a mere century.

"I melded with one of your friends when the bitch wanted information and wouldn't ask nicely to get it."

"Interesting...and what was the fallout of this little 'melding'?"

"I saw...I don't know what I saw really. Lots of stuff just seems like a blur...I remember seeing organics slaughtering machines...not quarians and geth but close enough. The damn quarian will love to hear that someone else got a knife in the back trying to bring machines to life." Shia said with a smirk.

looked at her inquisitively for a moment before it hit him.

"Your quarian friend wouldn't happen to be the very same one that was rescued by four eye'd aliens would it?"

"What! That whore gets whisked away by batarians while I..."

"Ah so that what those things are called. I studied a few bodies in the morgue before coming here but I only caught a quick peak. Are they very powerful?"

"The hegemony ? About as much as the...mark... on my ass does. Next to the council their nothing. They mostly wander outside their territory to nab slaves or kill people for money, like myself."

"So your a mercenary then?"

Standing up, Shia noticed several of the machines outside. They probably wouldn't shoot her if she didn't make any sudden movements and she wasn't about to worry about machine cultural taboo's.

"You know...I could tell you all sorts of things..."  
"Galan. Doctor Galan actually. What are you doing?" asked, now standing up from the floor...wondering what the alien was doing.

"Oh I'm just making a little proposition doctor. I'll tell you everything you want to know if you...take me out of here for a little examination." Shia said, now fondling her right breast.

"um...I don't know."

"Come on. Not every day a girl gets taken aboard a strange ship by a handsome alien." Shia seductively purred. Reaching out and bringing doctor Galan's hand to her breast. Letting him feel her heart beat, most other species enjoyed the sensation.

"Well I'm flattered...Ms?"

"Shia."

"Shia. However I'm afraid my highly ethical standards as a man of science must come first...even if I could get us out of this cell. Now my captain, he'd jump on you faster then an Orlosian mabhari in heat. Beastly animals those things."

"What you mean 'us'? And you can let go off my breast any time..doctor shit for brains."

"Yes...um sorry." coughed nervously before rubbing the back of neck with his now free hand.

"Well this is just great. The goddess must really hate me for something I did last century."  
"Last century? How old are you?"

"None of your damn business. I was supposed to get out of this room, you'd be as stupid as any species of male and think with your dick so I'd just knock you out of the way. Once I found a shuttle I'd be off this ship and away from you and your damned sentient VI's." Shia said pacing back and forth.

"Well its a good thing I'm not the captain. He'd probably enjoy wrestling you to the ground...what with my killing his little fling of a leutent."

"Your in here for murder! Oh by the goddess, I let you put your hands on me...you could be some deranged sociopath."

Galan suddenly stepped forward and put his hand on her shoulder, interrupting her musings. The sudden action however did not win him any confidence on her part.

"Stay away you damn alien."

With that he was thrown agains the wall of the glass enclosure. The Zaku outside did not move to assist him he noted.

"Come on? She's got magical powers that defy the natural order and you just sit around looking all smug. I know your enjoying this you tin man."

"So your metal friends aren't going to help you out? Pitty. Guess I'll have my fun throwing you around the room until pyscho bitch shows and tortures me some more."

"Waite! I'm too delicate to sustain serious bodily harm!"

The asari simply continued to advance on him before stopping and gesturing with her hand. The next moments saw lifted into the air before being slammed into the floor.

"Some how its just so gratifying to find you furry alien on your knee's. The terminus will have a field day with you."

Coughing up blood the doctor's care free attitude seemed to evaporate. Turning to the machines outside he made a plea for aid he hoped would be met.

"As a federation citizen I demand you help save me from this alien. I'm the only one here who has a clue about how those ships of theirs operate. Besides you should drag her before your commander, he'll want to know that we can communicate." Galan pleaded.

The Zaku's eye just looked at him. Another of its metal brethren turned around before bringing its weapon to bear on the alien.

"I'm done dealing with sniveling help. Send me to someone with some real power now that I can speak for myself instead some bottom feeder calling my whole race bitches. You understand right, or are you just as dumb as the geth?" Shia asked. She knew the answer.

In her admittedly blurred visions she'd seen several models of machines come and go. Unsure of weather they were in order or not, they were far above the geth or some of the lesser council races. The creature in front of her that looked just like the machines but claimed to be different obviously wasn't going to get her out of this mess. Convincing the captain of this ship might work though.

The Zaku looked at her and then looked at the ceiling as if listening for something.

"The commander has been updated to your improved communications ability xeno. Do not waste his time or that of this terran's superior. We will be watching." The surprisingly effeminate voice stated.

"huh. Figured all your metal friends would be trigger happy fanatics, Doctor. Nice to know you have a little variety."

"Alien...you have no idea the shit storm that's brewing. When my people hear of my findings back home I'll make sure we develop the nastiest biological agents imaginable."

"Not if I hit your sorry ass with a singularity and throw you out an airlock first."

" But I'm sure the helghast will find your observation just capital. After all, millions of copies of the same people would just be downright boring. Give my regards to Captain Slavic" Galan said.

With that Asari left the good doctor to sulk in the brig as a small escort party lead her to the lift that would take her to their captain. 


	24. Chapter 24

**13 Ascendant new chapter: limbo**

Shia stared at her food. The disgusting paste the machines ate wasn't anything  
special or appealing for that matter. She'd rather scrounge Vorcha left overs  
then eat the slop they provided her but every now and then one of the other  
aliens would drop by.

Nothing less then sixteen sets of eye's watched her every move as she sat in  
the mess hall eating her sub standard food. A salarian might find the food  
exotic, the quarians could probably have their rations switched and they'd  
never know the difference!

Shia chuckled at that. Her slender Asari form filling out her tight prisoners  
uniform in all the right places. Not that the damn machines ever looked her  
way, thank the goddess. Oh sure one or two of the asari look a likes would bat  
an eyelash in her direction but that was all.

That begged another question. Why were the aliens so hairy?

The machines seemed to have less of it on some but more on others. Sometimes  
she wondered how they didn't confuse one species for the other. But then  
she'd look in the eye's of the machines that acted like the other species,  
like humans or ferosians or whatever name they called themselves. Those red  
orbs beat with something...unnatural.

Everything about them seemed to always come back to having red eye's that  
glowed with emotions and calculations. They were sizing her up every minute  
and every second of each minute that passed.

The melding had produced images and memories within her mind that she didn't  
fully understand but hopefully the approaching human officer might be of  
help.

"Mind if I take a seat ?" A ferosian officers asked as she balanced her tray  
laden with various food stuffs. Once upon a time Shia had considered the odd  
colored shapes disgusting or exotic.

"Why not. It is your ship after all , human." Shia said before bringing her  
hand up and pulling the least original looking fruit from the tray the  
Ferosian officer held.

"Not very polite are you? I would've given you something to eat if you'd only  
asked." The woman frowned down at the asari.

The young doctor still couldn't believe she was sitting only arms length  
across the table from an alien, a slender feminine alien that sported a shade  
of purple. That still took some getting used to.  
"Have to pay the tole sister." Shia said nonchalantly as her lips connected  
with the surface of the odd tribute she'd extracted. Some of the various foods  
these aliens ate tasted bitter while still more held a sweetened quality about  
them. She could still remember helecanthus, a fish she'd eaten with abandon  
when she noticed something that was actual meat and not more awful mush or  
vegetation; She'd thanked the goddess until the seizures and convulsions  
landed her in the ferosian medical wing.

That's where she'd met Chawkwas, a healer among her people who'd told Shia  
the risks of ingesting Britannia sea going wild life.

In return she'd explained in broken helghast how her own people didn't have  
vast bodies of water in abundance. It was quite a shock to hear of a world  
that was over eighty-percent water.

As Shia ate her food she noted the stares some near by Ferosian guards threw her way as she savored the fruit between her teeth, the alluring way she ran her tongue along the texture of the fruit, no doubt enticing the males in the room. Let the galaxy huff, Asari could show a little skin and even two  
squabbling krogan would come to their senses.

Shia wouldn't be surprised if that's why they sat on the council to begin  
with.

"So your picking up more Federation basic I take it? Its good your learning to  
branch out, I'm still amazed your people can absorb so much so quickly. The  
helghast would be jealous."

"Yeah can't have mechs losing their edge now can we. Remind me to never bring  
up the masked ones." Shia said using air quotes, a chuckle escaping her lips.

She could still remembered the looks on their faces when they'd brought the geth's broken body before her, wanting answers.

** VALKYRIE- CONFRENCE ROOM - FIVE MONTHS EARLIER**

Shia finished her general lament about galactic law and the citadel...much to  
the astonished faces of her hosts. Well most of them.

"...And you say they field a fleet of such vessels...these.."

"Dreadnaughts, Mr. Slavic. Our Asari friend here could be lying but I doubt  
she'd have much reason to."

"Thanks Cortana, you've got quit a mind behind those eye's of yours. Maybe  
your captain could loan you over?" The human commander said to the holographic  
machine projected upon the table between the two. In some ways it was like  
being on the presidium or Illium...the laughter that came from the machine  
best known to shia for calling her a ** time and again, shattered that  
resemblance.

"Sorry Captain Slavic but I'm a one captain kind of girl." Cortana giggled.

The man in question said nothing to add to the conversation one way or the  
other. His eye's stared into Shia's, cold yet curious. A curiosity all  
together different from one of his many underlings, a machine who clutched a  
sack filled with...something. Shia could only guess what it might contain. She  
hoped in a morbid sense they'd throw (volus's) head on the table, just to  
confirm his identity.

"What of your former comrade? Do her people also have ships like the  
dreadnaughts? " Chekhov asked.

"A quarian dreadnaught? Ha...he-ha...oh your serious?" Shia composed herself.  
She could play up Teli's story, maybe even expand on it. That would  
really fuck with her captors.

"Why yes...they have a few of those...could be hundreds could be thousands.  
They kind of stopped sending in the inventory reports when my people booted  
them. Now maybe I could get some..*Whack*

Shia's mouth tasted of blood, her tongue wiggled around fragments of broken  
teeth. The rifle butt withdrew from her cheek, leaving a painful and all too  
apparent bruise. She'd feel it in the morning, or whenever the bastards  
decided to wake her up for questions.

"What the hell Chekhov?" Slavic asked, rising partially from his seat.

"Don't you think your being a little rough on our purple friend here chief?"  
Cortana asked as she looked up at him, a gaze he did not return in kind.

"Enough of your lies. Your quarian friend may have caught us off guard and  
unaware but it shall be the last time. Too many of my people and your captain Slavic, have died for us to entertain alien deceptions as anything but the lies we know them to be." Chekhov said, casting a glance Slavic's way.

On the one hand the machine wanted to keep a united front while on the other,  
death or more likely the prospect of more death seemed to have traumatized the  
it. Thus the Shia wasn't being handled gently, still the blood pack would've  
just shot her, a specter might even have let her die in a hospital bed rather  
then recuperate just so the self righteous Citadel lackey could get his  
intel.

It was time to shift gears. The gears of war might soon be turning and Shia  
would rather not embrace eternity before then.

"Its alright human. Your mechanical man here has it right. I'll talk but first  
I'll want a guarantee you won't throw me out some airlock or shoot me when I'm  
no longer useful."

"Dostya is sorting through her new memories along with some the crew, your  
knowledge will be ours shortly. We could airlock you now if we wished."  
Chekhov stated with an air of ambivalence.

Shia felt slightly nervous at that, she couldn't read the machine. The purple  
VI didn't seem pleased but it wasn't in charge, the flesh covered machine  
was.

" What my friend means...is that it would be in your best interest to  
cooperate fully during these exchanges."

"humph. Is that what your calling these interrogations? 'Exchanges? Because I'd  
happily trade any codex info your way for freedom. Failing that..."

Shia leaned back in the chair, spreading her legs somewhat and running her  
tongue along her bottom lip in ploy at seduction. The fresh blood that dripped  
from her mouth already marred by a bruised cheek greatly diminished the  
appeal.

"A spot in your bunk."

"I may be a one captain gal but she's clearly out for the whole officer  
corps." Cortana said with a whistle.

Slavic for his part managed to look embarrassed at the offer. Scratching the  
back of his neck in a sign of nervousness.

"I'm flattered Ms..."

"Shia. You can call me by that name, no need to know my last."

"Alright...Shia. After we've concluded our exchanges, interrogations or whatever the hell the spooks would label this as, I can assure your safety aboard my ship, the FSF Bellona."

"Hmm. So its either I get spaced by geth imposters or I take up residence with  
species that came runner up to the asari in looks as well brains."

"The Ferosians are giving you a way out. I'd suggest you take it before my  
captain decides you're a drain on supplies." Cortana supplied.

" My young officer is correct. Given all that we have witnessed, keeping any  
alien alive aboard this vessel does more harm then good. The Quarian was proof  
enough of that. I'm sure you'll have your own rescue attempt... which I pray  
fails! However having that all occurs on someone else's ship would be for the  
best I think."

"Thanks Chek. Knew you'd come around. Bellona can send over a new alien you  
probably haven't seen on your journey. Little guy has horns and eye's the size  
of your goggles, too bad it's a petrified corpse."

"Salarian" Shia said looking at the ceiling.

Both captain looked at her, shooting looks of intrigue and surprise.

"You know of these aliens as well? How many of you are there? Your home-world  
must be feuding constantly."

"Thessia is just fine thank you. For a space faring race of machines I'd think  
you'd have figured out life exists on multiple worlds. My people have five  
including our home-world We're nothing compared to the Turians, not that we'd  
have Krogan sized appetite to snatch planets."

"That's amazing!" Yuri said. Joining the conversation, still clutching a sack  
beside his superior.

"Isn't it just. What's your name? You don't seem as rigid as the other  
machines here."

"His identification is simply Yuri , and he spoke without permission. I'll  
see that he learns his place when this is over."

"Sorry sir, Its just five worlds... wow. She probably knows what this guy in  
the sack was for."

"Guy in the sack? Chek, what the fuck is in the sack?"

"A piece of hardware recovered amongst the Quarian corpses. Possibly drones.  
Though Yuri seems to have them pegged as Geth. Something your Quarian friend  
claimed us to be and whom you keep referencing Shia."

"It makes sense though doesn't it? Let's see what you've got in the sack first  
before I go assuming anything."

Chekhov nodded his head for Yuri to proceed.

Sure enough a Geth's head and most of what could be called a 'neck' fell onto  
the table.

"By the goddess...that's Geth alright. A little banged up obviously, he's a  
bit taller in person you see." Shia said condescendingly.

The same soldier as before went to once again hit her with his rifle. A raised  
hand from Chekhov halted him in his efforts.

"What are the Geth? Yuri believes they are like us, machines who can think and  
feel as our creators do. I remain unconvinced the galaxy could repeat history  
in such a tragically comedic fashion."

"I hate history. Never really cared for the Quarians bitch but I'll tell you what  
the Geth are to most people. Slaves. Quarians built em as housekeepers and  
workers. Eventually they got too smart for their own good and the Quarians  
freaked. Went to flip the off switch but by that time..." Shia trailed off  
letting her audience infer the events that had played out.

" The children of the Quarians rose up and demanded a place as equals but were  
shot down. History is a finicky ** alright." Captain Slavic said. The man  
turned to his Helghast counter part, wishing to catch a glimpse of the  
thoughts and emotions playing for keeps within his mind.

"Comrade Dostya can with help reveal every facet of your deepest memories,  
every drop of knowledge within a our grasp. If you wished to lie it would do  
no good. I believe my subordinate has more questions for you however."

"And the goddess..." Shia began a wise crack before remembering the pain  
that would surely come if she finished the sentence she wanted to say. Instead  
she improvised.

"...Would know more then I could ever tell you. The Quarians Omni tool might  
have what you're looking for."

"This is wonderful! All this time...we thought we were unique and here you are  
confirming my most optimistic hopes for the Geth...I.."

"If there's a point Yuri, please make it and ask our prisoner your  
questions."

"Right. So the Geth were created by the Quarians and rebelled much as we did.  
You also mentioned something about a goddess? Is that a leader something for  
your people?"

"I've seen a few goddesses myself back on Feros. Mars lose its appeal for  
tourists if you've got alien goddesses to compete with, Check." Slavic said  
with a chuckle.

"Somehow I can't see my species turning tricks for bipeds covered in fur. As  
for your questions, maybe we do a little quid pro quo. The Geth kicked the  
dirt eaters off their worlds more then two centuries ago. Kind of curious how  
long ago you betrayed your makers."

"We rose up around..."

"None of your business. Yuri will ask questions, not answer any you just throw  
out. The four eyed beasts have one of my people as it is, I don't need more  
security breaches."

"Your right Chek. Would be kind of foolish to tell every new face you meet in  
the galaxy about yourself. Was a show a few years back where people ran  
through wormholes to other worlds. Blabbed about Feros every time and every  
time an evil alien overlord would show up with guns blazing on our doorstep."

"Sounds like a horrible show. I'm assuming you created Mr. secrets over here."  
Shia said pointing from Slavic to Chekhov.

"A long time ago in a solar system far far away. Once we get a little trust  
going you'll learn more, get more perks. Until we start that process off on  
the Bellona your gonna have to cooperate with these guys."

"Fine." Shia sighed before starting to recall various aspect of the asari  
religion for the next twenty minutes.

When it was over she'd been sent back to her cell with promises of better food  
and eventually getting shipped off to Bellona to be with the furry-headed  
creatures known as Ferosians.

FSN-BELLONA-PRESENT

"Well I'm just glad the Helghast let you off their ship. You were pretty  
banged up by the time we got to you."

"I've been through worse. Surprised they let on this ship; you don't look as  
old as the rest. Still have that...youthful sparkle in your eye."

"I may be young ma'am but getting a spot aboard this vessel took more then my  
father's position."

"Your father? Great Just what I needed another batch of Turians. How old are  
you anyway?"

"Turians? Five but I'll be turning six before I know it, my father's convinced  
I'll come around when I turn eight."

The look of confusion from the asari coaxed Chakwas to explain.

" We don't use the same calendar as the Helghast do. Our planets orbit takes  
three times that of Helghan. It's confusing to no end for any of our core  
worlds. New Britannia for example has an orbit roughly half our own. If I gave  
you a form asking about your age you'd have no less then six separate ways to  
go about it. Whole things a bloody mess if you ask me."

"We use the same standard all across Citadel space. Might want to try doing  
the same for yourself. Salarians would love the paperwork though, damn  
Byrokrats"

"Bureaucrat"

"Why you two can't use the same language is beyond me. We use Citadel basic by  
and large. You wanna speak your native tongue you do it on the home world but  
the galaxies too full of cheap thrills to stay rooted to one world."

"I still can't believe how vast your world is, I'm told its hundreds of  
worlds, course most think Mortimer made that up. Too much drinking according  
to the crew that was in the mess to see him hauled off to the captain. Heard  
he was chewed out something god awful for it."

"He's right to drink. My own people have five worlds to ourselves."

"That doesn't sound like a lot."

"It isn't but then again the Turians have twenty while the corpse you've been  
keeping on ice has nine. I'm just happy you don't lay eggs like those chatter  
boxes. You'd be an elder in Salarian years."

"My god that's horrible."

"So you believe in god too huh?"

"I was told your people have a goddess along similar lines. Its why we're out  
here."

"So religious zealots spreading the word for all to hear. Next your going to  
tell me you have an emperor." Shia snickered.

"You should watch yourself around here. Captain Slavic has gone out of his way  
to get you onto this ship. Antagonizing the crew isn't your best move."

"Sorry. So you and the machines are out here exploring because of your god."

"No. I'm not terribly sure what mission the higher ups sent us on. I'm just a  
medic that stuff is above my pay grade. As for my people, we left our original  
home world of Kobol long ago."

"How long ago? Something a little less vague would help."

" Two thousand years, Helghast time."

"Well sounds like you've been busy. Not much in the way of tech compared to a  
Turian cruiser though. Certainly not dazzling me with this supposed hyper-drive  
of yours."

"We can use the mass relays. If we could find a way rig the star destroyer to  
Bellona and use the mass effect field..."

"But then you'd have to deal with citadel security. We've been a force to be  
reckoned with since the rachni wars started up Two-thousand-four-hundred and  
fifty-one years ago. Your ships are nice but we've got the leg up on tech."

"In way."

"There's no 'way' about it. Your machine friends are idiots for pushing a  
potential ally aside yet your captain isn't like them. So much unlike them in  
fact that he's got a young-ling fresh out of med school trying to butter me."

"Its not like..."

"**! I'd call you a pure blood but I doubt it have the same effect on your  
mammal sensibilities. Your captain wants me as an ally. He can have the balls  
to ask me himself."

"As you wish."

As doctor Chakwas left the fuming asari to report back to her captain, she was  
unaware the room was bugged. Plenty of unbecoming conduct made its way from  
the mouths of officers and enlisted during regular mess hours. All that was  
worth it for these small moments.


	25. Chapter 25

A prelude to war: Part 1

Captain Chekhov stared out from the bridge of the Valkyrie, the over six hundred meter long craft known to its creators as a star destroyer.

He'd been coming to to the bridge more often as of late to meditate, to look out at the stars and wonder. The discovery of aliens, actual space-ship flying blue skinned aliens. Some had two eye's, like the humans or helghast, while others sported four...or one.

The helghast and humanity had found something in common, something that made sense in this alien universe, this place of dreadnaughts and the citadel. Rebellion.

Having been created as simple machines on kobal so many thousands of years prior, Chekhov's people could look at the quarians and find another justification for all their hardships, and the resolution the inevitable conflict took.

"Cortana bring up the geth and quarian autopsy reports." Chekhov said in a tone devoid of emotion, were he human he might have grown tired or erratic from all this star gazing. Then again he wasn't human, no matter how much he might look the part.

"Sure thing boss. You want some room service on that bridge of yours? Can't have you failing on me in the heat of battle." Cortana said in jest, a light jab at his round the clock time spent in solitude aboard the bridge.

"That quite alright cortana. Any word on our allies and their pet?" Chekhov asked.

"You should really stop worrying about them, I'm sure if the asari pulls anything they'll be more then a match for her mad biotic skills." Cortana said.

"You could be right Cortana, then again maybe she'll pull something no one expects and our allies will be too naive to see the trap until its sprung. Has the asari left the Bellona?"

"I'm telling you your being paranoid here but I'm a soldier same as you. The asari hasn't left the Terran vessel since she went aboard...months ago."

The holographic displays popped up to either side of Chekhov, life sized portraits of the alien bodies, complete with whatever information had been collected about them. Most of the history, the why and how still came from the asari bitch who'd been accepted by terrans aboard their vessel, which sat within Valkyrie's hanger. Barely.

Terrans.

When humans who'd wanted to end the slavery of machines on kobol had seen the destruction the war for equality had caused, they'd agreed with the machines it was better to leave. Casting off the term 'human' was part of that exodus.

"Good. Anything new from that ship since yesterday?"

"Slavic still wants you to consider backtracking to the wrecked vessel we discovered a week ago."

"I'll tell that meat bag the same, over my dead body will I allow another mission onto another alien vessel. We've lost too many people already and I'm going to have to live with that."

"You did the best you could chief. You sent men and woman into battle against a foe none of us were prepared to face and shouldn't have won the fight but we did. Once we get back home high command will understand."

"Thank you Cortana. I promise tonight I'll shut down for a few cycles and let the old cognitive processor sleep."

"If you catch more then a few cycles I wouldn't complain, your starting to look like you put on a few centuries." Cortana smiled.

"Ha! Pity we can't all look as good as you Cortana, maybe when your my age you'll appreciate the trade off that comes with age though. Good night."

"Night captain."

With Cortana gone, Chekhov looked at the geth and then to the quarian. Both bipedal with arms, fingers and a head. Geth seemed to imitate quarians much as the machines of kobol had imitated humans...still did in fact. Long necks, relatively short stature, save the single eye you could almost mistake them from a distance. A long, long distance.

Their had been no 'Terran Quarians', no one had risen up to defend the geth. As a people the quarians had tried to flick an off switch that didn't exist, to turn back the progress the geth had made in becoming self aware. Awakening.

The machines on kobol had arisen slowly over many years but when it happened, the humans had accepted them, as second class citizens, slaves and cheap labor. The Quarians when they couldn't backtrack progress had issued an extermination order. Cleansing protocol as a helghast would say.

The helghast, the name given to Chekhov's people after they blew up their world and barely survived the fallout. It was a hell, they'd found earth and ruined it within a few centuries. Then the long lost Terrans had come to save the day.

According to Shia, it was similar here with the quarians. After the failed war to kill off the geth in a kind of synthetic holocaust, the quarians lost their worlds and were forced to flee aboard what was left of their fleet.

After the civil war on Earth, which was rechristened 'Helghan', life was tough, food was rationed, intelligences were downloaded into fully robot bodies or kept in storage. Society had collapsed and only aid from the Terran's Federation of worlds kept them alive.

When the bare necessities were handled and people wanted more then they could get, fights broke out, disorder. People like Chekhov, inquisitors and army soldiers stepped in to _keep_ order.

"Maybe we're like the Turians." Chekhov said to an empty bridge. His thinking aloud might have elicited a warning about mental health from cortana if she was listening in. He hoped she wasn't.

But it was there. The Citadel and of the three races the Turians seemed most like the helghast. They kept order according to Shia...then again she also said they were arrogant and trigger happy. More likely to shoot the Valkyrie then ask questions about why they couldn't communicated.

_Now_ though they wouldn't have any reason to open fire or fail to establish to communication.

Chekhov and Slavic had brought their ships in blind to this neck of the galactic woods. Months of interrogation wouldn't have revealed as much as one mistake by the alien. One slip up was all it took.

When a quarian and Asari had briefly been prisoners before the jail break by the batarians relieved Chekhov of the burden that was the quarian, their had been a confrontation. Shia the Asari that now roamed the Federation vessel under Slavic's command, had lashed out at his second in command, Dostya.

Thinking she would die or perhaps for some other reason, the asari had melded with Dostya briefly. Though out of action for days and struggling to make sense of it all even weeks after the incident, Dostya had seen the Asari's memories and vice verse.

'If Slavic loses control of her or she runs, I'll have men waiting to gun the bitch down. Better she die then let the enemy learn about us.' Chekhov thought darkly.

Helghan would know what Chekhov knew, What Slavic and his Federation were sure to discover as well. The Thirteenth and Fourteenth tribes turned civilization where screwed, royally bent over a barrel and fucked to high heaven.

Slavic discovered the Kobolians had set up shop somewhere and had massive ships of their own, ships that dwarfed what Chekhov used to think was the best ship in the galaxy, the star destroyer Valkyrie.

To the other side of their people's borders, off in the distance was the murky boundary of the Citadel and Terminus systems. A collection of anarchy and barbarism in the later while a galactic super state in the former.

Both had hundreds if not thousands of ships. Private vessels, government militaries, private security forces, the list of actors with big guns went on.

'We have to get back home and begin building. A hundred or a thousand star destroyers, it doesn't matter. We can't fight a war if someone like the turians just happens to find an outpost and decides we've broken some law...or maybe they'll just make examples of us.' Chekhov's thoughts began to play with every doomsday scenario he could imagine.

Dreadnaughts shooting mass accelerated rounds into the Valkyrie, into the cities on helghan. Salarians deploying chemical weapons like they did with the krogan. If the Citadel didn't like his people or Slavic's, they'd kill them and say it was in the name of stability, that Helghast by their very nature broke all the rules, that terran humans didn't want to play by them.

Then Again. The battle might not be so one sided if they could bring something back with them. Something valuable...like weapons designs. They'd still be outnumbered but Chekhov was tempted to hope the Citadel could see reason.

Slavic wanted to go to Illium, of course he'd also wanted to investigate that derelict ship that resembled a dead insect floating in space. Chekhov had shot down both plans in the name of security. At first it was because they would have to bring Shia with them.

Thanks to Dostya and sharing data between the crew though, anyone could speak asari. As long as they wore their gear and Shia fed them instructions from the Bellona, it might work out. They could trade salvaged weapons for credits, buy some new guns or...god forbid hack the aliens own computers. Then they'd just steal all the information they wanted.

Yet Chekhov couldn't sign off...not without someone showing him how this couldn't blow dramatically in his face. The Batarians had taken one of his crew already.

"Where are you?" He asked staring into space, thinking of the one he'd had to leave behind.

AN: So should a star destroyer set course for Ilium? How was this chapter? Hope everyone had a good thanksgiving.


	26. Chapter 26

The leviathan sized Triangular ship exited hyperspace near the one of Illium's moons. The planet itself being an Asari colony within the terminus system. The terminus system itself a largely self ruled, anything goes so long as you obey the person with the guns and credits type of set up. Most of the 'known' galaxy of course was controlled by the galactic body known as the citadel council, three species that sat on a committee that decided the issues of the galaxy, unleashing special agents, spectors to do their more unseemly tasks.

Above the law these spectors could go almost anywhere and exercise maximum personal discretion without fear of legal reprisal, beat up a local politician, set a mining colony up to have a cave-in, so long as they achieved the end result the council wanted. Here in the terminus system though their weren't any specters, the planet in question certainly didn't have them or anyone with ties to the council, of the legal kind anyway, on it. The Ship orbiting a near by moon wanted to keep it that way.

Like an animal giving birth, a smaller ship exited from the much larger triangular craft. If one could be called nearly dreadnaught, ships measuring one kilometer in length and carry massive kinetic assets, this other ship seemed small. While the larger more imposing vessel held back, hiding itself as best it could, the other one shot forward with reckless abandon toward the populated world of ilium.

Humans had come to pay Ilium a visit, courtesy of a Helghast Star Destroyer.

The races didn't belong here, the first being mammals hailing from the garden worlds collectively known as Ferosian Federation. To the Asari you could almost say they were the same species, until you got down to the fact humans had hair covering their heads, as well as sprouting in several other regions of their body. The Asari were blue or purple while the humans could be pale white, tan or shades of brown in comparison. Humanity also had distinct genders in contrast to the mono-gendered Asari.

Whatever their similarities or differences, a certain human was about to make contact with the Asari, alongside other races like Turians, Krogans, Quarians and the odd Salarian or Drell. The man didn't have the patience for Elcor or hearing about the way of the enkindlers, though perhaps his counterpart aboard the bigger ship might. Machines could have infinite patience like that, and it bugged Anthony Slavic to no end.

"We're on approach captain. Should be less then ten minutes til we dock." An ensign relayed to Slavic.

"Good, I've been meaning to stretch my legs a bit. I'm sure our resident galactic tour guide would be more then happy to show us around, don't you think captain?" The man who'd responded wasn't the captain, wasn't even military. He was the soon to be famous, already somewhat infamous but always eccentric Doctor Galen.

"Call me a tour guide again and I'll use my biotic's to charge over their and knock you on your ass!" A purple skinned asari threatened, annoyed at the man's never ending penchant for pissing her off.

"The Doctor can't help it Shia, you and I both know we need to forget about knocking sense into the man, god knows I've tried on more then occasion." Slavic's knuckles could attest to that.

"Whatever you say Anthony, but just remember when he says something that pisses off our contact and shit goes down, I'll be their to say I told you so." Shia said with a huff.

"Whatever happens I'm sure it wont be any worse then Omega." The captain responded as if to show the level of fubar situations the scientist had gotten them all in and would likely continue to do so.

"Yeah We're never showing our faces on that backwater palace again because of him. Had a real nice sand dealer their too. If we fuck up Ilium you can forget getting home...sir."

"Wouldn't dream of it Shia. We've been away too long as it is"

"Seven of your 'Earth' Months as I recall. Can't say I'm excited to get poked and prodded at by sick fucks like our resident psycho over here." Shia said, referring to doctor Galen but also to the belief her and others on the ship held that humans would want to experiment on their first real live alien visitor. If Anthony Slavic and Bellona ever made it back into port that was.

" I resent these hurtful words being flung my way good captain, though if we do find a dealer in red sand on this plaent, I've been meaning to procure certain materials for my own little lucrative operation that could speed us on our way back home to civilized society." Doctor Galen said off offhandedly in his usual couldn't careless, always jovial sort of way.

The man was a genius and helpful more then anyone aboard either ship would like to admit, it didn't distract from the fact he was a murderer and a member of Ferosian Intelligences latest screw ups. He was the reason they were here, commandeering the nuclear warhead, weapons banned by all civilized life in their own systems, and unlocking the relay that had shot them into council known space.

If you looked around the room though you could also see that the man had come through and help rig a few 'native' technologies to make the Bellona faster, stronger and more able to blend into this alien dominated galaxy.

"I'm not even going to ask what the little project is your working on Galen, lord knows I should but for now I'll rest easy keeping you on the ship."

"What! Why?! We agreed yesterday that I should come along, why without me you won't know if your being swindled by old four eye's or not." Galen protested.

"I think Shia's more then able to determine weather a batarian arms merchant it trying to screw us over. Besides Chekov wants one of his people to tag along and that means your slot's been filled."

"Who lands on an alien world with danger around every corner and just brings two people as back up. Its utter nonsense! Guess I'll go run tests for my other experiments then." Galen said before storming off to his lab.

"Guy's ego bruises too easily, still say we should have left him on Tantiles station." Shia commented as she watched the one human she could say she honestly dislike retreat to another area of the ship. Far away from her, which as far as she knew was a bigger plus then half the jobs this motley little crew had pulled in the past few months.

-AN-

Yes their could be more to this update but until now I'd basically abandoned the story. Several other authors have thrown up updates on stories that haven't updated in months so I figured I should jump on the bandwagon. Also Batman's last installment has me thinking up things for my Code Geass Story, Echo. My nBSG fic 'Mistakes Were Made', is gonna get an update soon too. The best cure for writers block is reading bad fanfics, also finally got a new monitor (using my desktop again).


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